CHITRAL: The communication and works department has reopened roads to some major valleys in upper and lower Chitral and restored suspension bridges in many villages in the district for vehicular traffic after three weeks.

Executive engineer of the department in Chitral Maqbool Azam told Dawn on Saturday that the devastating flash floods soon after Eidul Fitr had washed away the roads leading to 28 valleys and villages and 50 suspension bridges destroying the communication system.

He said after hectic efforts of the department, roads had been temporarily opened to vehicular traffic to 18 valleys and villages, while the rest would be opened by the next week.

“After the restoration of 19 suspension bridges, the movement of the people is no more restricted to their villages,” he said.

Azam said Chitral-Booni Road, one of the three major arteries in the district, had been opened by the Frontier Works Organisation, which had been damaged in Kuragh two days before Eidul Fitr, and thus, disconnecting the lower and upper Chitral from each other.

He said the valley roads opened by his department included Shogram-Kosht-Warijun Road, Khot Road, Damil-Kamsai Road, Loane Road, Parpish Oveer Road, Laspur Road and Yarkhoon Road, while work was in final stages on Kalash-Birir Road and Beori Road.

He said in line with the special instructions of the chief minister, chief engineer (north) Dawood Shah had established a camp office in Chitral soon after the spate of floods set in and relentless efforts were launched to open roads but the extended spate of torrential rains hampered the work.

He claimed the remaining roads of different valleys would be opened to traffic within a week, while suspension bridges would take time for restoration.

“Reconstruction will be done in time from one week to a month as most of the bridges were washed away,” he said.

The executive engineer said fortunately, the buildings of government schools, hospitals, warehouses of food department and other veterinary dispensaries hadn’t been hit by floods on a large scale.

Published in Dawn, August 16th, 2015

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