MANSEHRA, Feb 21: The rescue and relief operation in areas affected by the recent rains and heavy snowfall is moving at a snail's pace as the people who were stranded due to snowfall in remote hilly region of Kaghan and Bhogarman valleys
have neither been rescued nor proper arrangements made to airdrop food stuff.
The Kaghan Valley Road has been blocked between Kawai and Paras due to an avalanche. The contractor of the National Highway Authority (NHA) is learnt to be standing in Kawai with machinery.
Syed Munir Hussain Shah, Nazim of Union Council Hungrai, informed this correspondent through the telephone from Paras, that on Sunday a team belonging to a news TV channel had visited Paras.
He said that the NHA contractor brought machinery to Paras but as soon as the news channel team left he took it back to Kawai. He said that the NHA contractor had created more difficulties for the people of Baila Paras by throwing the debris of Kaghan Valley Road on the Baila Paras Road.
On being contacted, the DCO, Hussain Zada Khan, said that the lack of helicopters and road clearing machinery was hampering the relief operation. Provincial Minister for Revenue Maulvi Asmatullah, MPA Syed Mazhar Ali Qasim, District Nazim Syed Ahmad Hussain Shah and Oghi Tehsil Nazim Laiq Mohammad Khan were also present on the occasion.
The DCO said that only one helicopter had been provided by the government while the Works and Services Department in Mansehra had got only one bulldozer. He said that presently work was in progress on 40 roads leading to various hilly areas and some roads were still vulnerable to dangerous mountain slides.
At some places avalanches had again covered the roads which were cleared by the Works and Services department, he added. He said that so far 40 people had died and 46 injured in rain and snowfall incidents in various parts of the district.
The DCO said that a total of 266 huts and a total of 23 cemented houses had collapsed in the area. He said that financial aid worth Rs3.9 million had so far been disbursed among the affected people and 134 bags of food had been distributed among them.
District Nazim Syed Ahmad Hussain Shah said that the local administration was in dire need of two more helicopters for carrying out relief operation as the rain and snowfall had caused damage on a vast scale.
He said that the government had provided 14 bulldozers to Swat, while the Works and Services Department in Mansehra had got only one bulldozer. He said that three more bulldozers had been hired by the local administration, but this was also insufficient in view of the extensive damage done by the rain and snowfall.
MPA: MPA Syed Mazhar Ali Qasim has said that hectic efforts are being made for carrying out relief operation in the areas affected by the recent rains and snowfall.
Speaking to newsmen in the DCO office in Mansehra on Monday, he said that blockade of roads leading to hilly areas is the main problem which was responsible for the slow pace of relief work.
He said that the Kaghan Valley Road was cleared under his supervision from Kawai to Jaraid on Sunday, and added that efforts were being made to clear the Kaghan valley road up to Kaghan.
He said that people from Kaghan and Khanian were seen moving to Paras for purchasing daily-use commodities and edibles, and added that up to Paras the routine activities of the people had resumed to some extent.
Syed Mazhar Ali Qasim said that the Rajwal, Naran and Batta Kundi areas of Kaghan Valley were still inaccessible due to heavy snowfall, which had been recorded up to 15 feet and where the devastation could be more extensive.
