Lwari tunnel reopened for vehicular traffic.
CHITRAL: The only land route connecting Chitral to other sorts of the country Lawari top has been blocked for all type of vehicular traffic last year. Hence there is only one option for traveling to down district that is inside the Lawari tunnel. But due to continue rain and heavy snowfall main road in front of the tunnel has been blocked due to felling down of a heavy avalanche on Tuesday as a result Chitral remained disconnected from other parts of the country and thousands of people were strained due to closing of the tunnel. National Highway Authority (NHA) opened the tunnel after working day and night for vehicular traffic on Thursday. Some six hundred vehicles have been strained on both sides of the tunnel towards Dir and Chitral portal after blocking of the road. These vehicles were crossed inside the tunnel on Thursday by NHA staff. Talking to this scribe spokesman of NHA Inayat Hussain confirmed opening of the road and tunnel for traffic. Social and political circle of Chitral highly appreciated this step of NHA for opening of main road and tunnel for passengers and loaded vehicles.
Hence supply of electricity is still suspended due to breaking of cables and poles at Lawari top after heavy snowfall. As a result Chitral has been plunged into dark and Wapda badly failed to restored supply of electricity in seven days. It is worth to mention here that land route connecting Chitral to Dir Peshawar has been blocked on Lawari top and in north connecting Chitral to Northern areas and Gilgit has been blocked at Shundor pass due to heavy snowfall. But the only option for transportation and traveling is Lawari tunnel and NHA allow Chitral passengers for two hours a day. Social and political circle of Chitral have demanded for expanding duration of tunnel for passengers to 4 hours a day. They also demanded for early restoration of electricity as well as establishment of micro hydro power stations for generating power on local level as Chitral required only 17 megawatt electricity and potential existing for 4500 megawatt due to plentiful quantity of water resources of Chitral but no government has done concrete work on this burning issue.
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