UPPER DIR: Officials on Monday said light traffic would be allowed to go through the Lowari tunnel two days a week to ease the misery of commuters caused by heavy snowfall.

Speaking at a press conference at the army brigade headquarters in Panakot, NHA general manager Mukesh Kumar, Chitral Deputy Commissioner Shahab Hamid and focal person ACR Dir Faheedullah said the decision to let vehicles use Lowari tunnel two days a week was made on the instructions of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

Hundreds of vehicles were stranded on both sides of the 8.9km-long tunnel amid heavy snowfall as dirt track that zigzags through the Lowari top was closed by excessive snowfall during the last several days. Lowari top is the only ground link to Chitral and its closure leaves Chistralis stranded on both sides of the top.

The Lowari tunnel being under-construction since 2005 is being built to bypass the top.

DC Chitral said all the light vehicles must reach Mirkani from Chitral side and tunnel site from Dir side by 12 noon every Friday and Tuesday to pass through the tunnel. He asked drivers to ensure they had mounted chains onto the tyres to enable better traction.

Published in Dawn January 17th, 2017