SHANGLA: Residents of Dunkacho area and its suburbs have demanded of the authorities to rebuild a suspension bridge washed away by the recent flash floods.

They told mediapersons on Sunday that the bridge was the only source of communication for them to bring daily use commodities and other goods from Aloch Puran.

“The wooden bridge has been completely damaged and only ropes are hanging over the river. Men can cross the river but it is extremely risky for women and children,” Jamal Khan, a local resident, said and added that when it rained even men could not walk through the fast flowing water.

He said the people had been demanding construction of a concrete bridge for vehicular traffic, but the elected representatives ignored their requests.

Mumtaz Ali, another local, said the 200-foot-long suspension bridge was repaired severally by locals on self-help basis. He said neither the district government nor any lawmaker visited the site of the collapsed bridge.

Local Imtiaz Ali said he had to cross the bridge almost on a daily basis to go to other parts of the district.

Habib Khan, district councillor from Dunkacho, told Dawn on contact that he had met assistant commissioner, Puran, asking him to rebuild the bridge using the emergency funds provided by the Provincial Disaster Management Authority.

PLANTATION DRIVE: ‘Plant for Pakistan’ day was observed across Shangla district the other day, where the saplings were distributed among the people.

Events in this regard were held in Bisham, Damorai, Alpuri, Chakesar and Puran where officials of the forest department planted saplings in major locations and also distributed the plants among the public.

Published in Dawn, August 20th, 2019