Lawari top blocked for hours after avalanche hitting

Lawari Top remained block for hours due to avalanche.

CHITRAL: The only land route connecting Chitral to other sorts of the country Lawari top remained closed for more than 12 hours due to heavy glacier fell down in the middle of main road. Sahib Zada driver of a pick up vehicle who is eye witness told this scribe that he reached Lawari top at 9.00 o clock at night time but the road was blocked after slipping of a heavy avalanche in the main road. As a result the eyewitness said that he faced to stay during night time in his pick up Dotson and suffered from sever cold weather. He said that the road remained block whole night but there is no source of communication to convey the message to concerned authorities for removing snow from the road to re-open it. Hence commuters, drivers and volunteers started their rescue activities and opened the road on self help basis after continue struggle of 8 hours. Many commuters complained that this is responsibility of National Highway Authority to assured normal traffic on Lawari top but they neglecting it as a result people facing numerous problems. It is worth to mention here that Lawari top is the only land route of Chitral situated on a height of 10500 feet from sea level which remained blocked for 3 to 5 months a year due to heavy snowfall and it was recently opened for traffic after removing and clearing snow from this mountainous pass.

Transporters looting Chitrali commuters with both hands.

CHITRAL: As the main road from Temergara to Shergarh is closed due to curfew after worsened law and order situation at Malakand Division. Hence transporters using Bajawar Agency road taking 4 to 7 hours instead of 2 hours via main road from Temergara to Mardan. In normal situation transporters taking fare 110 rupees from Temergara to Mardan but these days they charging rupees 300 to 600 per passenger. When District Coordination Officer Temergara Ghulam Muhammad Chitrali was contacted to register a complaint against these transporters he said that actually the main road is blocked due to curfew and the drivers traveling via a long and earthen road so that is why they overcharging. Hence he said that this is responsibility of DCO Mardan and Peshawar to bound the transporters to not overcharge from Chitrali passengers. Meanwhile Chairman Legal Awareness Program for Human Rights Chitral Niaz Ali Shah have appeal to high ups of Provincial government as well as transporters to bound drivers to not overcharge from Chitrali passengers because they are compelled to travel via such a long route facing great hardships due to earthen road but the transporters taking triple fare from them which is totally injustice, inhuman and illegal practices. He said that this is our moral duty to support compelled, oppressed people and to not exploited from their compulsion and helplessness.

G.H. Farooqi PO Box No. 50 GPO Chitral PO Box No 50 GPO Chitral Pakistan phone No. 0943-302295, 414418, 03025989602

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