MINGORA: Local residents have complained that the closure of Bahrain-Kalam road for over a week has caused food and medicines shortages in the area. According to residents of Kalam, Utror, Gabral and Ushu, the road was blocked by a huge snow-avalanche at Gorait area.

“We have shortage of food items as vehicles from Mingora cannot ply beyond Gorait,” Hayat Mohammad Kalami said.

The residents said the local hospital had run out of medicines, while some staffers had also left the area.

They said landslides had also blocked the Kalam road at different locations, and the army’s heavy machinery had cleared the rubble, but the huge snow avalanche at Gorait could not be removed to reopen the road.

The residents also complained of official apathy despite suffering huge losses caused by heavy rains and snowfall. “Over a dozen houses caved in due to rain and snowfall while agricultural lands were inundated but the no government agency reached here for extending help to the affected people,” said Zahoor Ahmad, a councillor in Jalband. He demanded that the affected areas should be declared as calamity-hit and compensation paid to the marooned people.

Published in Dawn, April 10th, 2016