CHITRAL: The residents of Karimabad valley of Chitral have threatened to start a hunger strike if the government did not start work for repair and rehabilitation of the road and bridges of the valley by April 15. They also urged the chief justice of Pakistan to take suo motu notice of the indifference of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to the dilapidated conditions of the road in the valley.

Addressing a press conference here the other day, the elders of the valley, including Mohammad Yaqub, Hammad Ahmed, Rahmat Nazir, Islamuddin and others, said that the 35km road was built by the community on self-help basis four decades ago, but the government failed to spend even a single penny on its maintenance.

They said that the narrow and mountainous road had claimed the lives of over a 100 people of the valley during the last 10 years, but still the government was unmoved. They said that two ramshackle suspension bridges connecting the valley with other parts of the district at Shoghor and Hasanabad villages could fall into the river anytime. There is a real danger to the lives of people as these bridges could no more withstand the burden of vehicles, they said.

The valley elite said that they had contacted all the relevant government offices and public representatives for repair of the road and transfer of the bridges to the communication and works department for maintenance, but to no avail.

People complain govt not taking notice of situation

They said that now they were left with no option, but to appeal to the superior judiciary to take notice of the injustice. They also demanded of the provincial government to pay compensation to the 14 injured and the heirs of two persons who died in the road accident on Tuesday last when a jeep plunged into a ravine in the valley. They criticised MPA Salim Khan for his failure to arrange funds for the project.

Published in Dawn, April 10th, 2015

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