CHITRAL: Two roads of Chitral in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have been federalised with the provincial government allowing 100 per cent mutation of right of way in the name of National Highway Authority (NHA).

According to a notification issued by the Ministry of Communications the other day, the 363km long Chitral-Shandur-Gilgit Road was federalised as N-140 and Chitral-Garam Chashma-Dorah Pass Road (82.5km) as N-145.

Meanwhile, special assistant to the KP chief minister, Wazir Zada, told mediapersons here on Thursday the road would prove to be a game changer in the area as on the one hand it would connect the area with China-Pakistan Economic Corridor route, on the other it would connect Tajikistan through Dorah Pass.

He said that Chitral would become a hub of economic and trade activities with completion of the road projects, thereby creating employment opportunities for the youth.

STAFF SHORTAGE: Six low grade employees of Pakistan Post are reportedly drawing salaries from post offices of Chitral district where they were posted three years ago, but they have been performing duties in their respective villages in Upper Dir, Lower Dir and Swat districts.

Sources told this correspondent that all the six persons had been appointed as class-IV employees in Chitral during the previous government.

They said delivery system of the department had been affected due to unavailability of mail runners.

The sources said the employees included Mohammad Yaqub mail runner (MR) for Shoghor-Garam Chashma, currently working in Sheringal, Upper Dir; Faisal Hayat, MR for Booni to Istaru, working in Deolai Swat; Nisar Ahmed, MR for Bang-Miragram, but working in Lal Qila, Lower Dir; Ali Khan, MR for Pawer-Brep, currently working in Munda, Lower Dir; Abidul Haq, MR Rayeen-Shagram, presently working in Mayar, Lower Dir; and a peon Farooq at Booni post office, but working in Upper Dir.

When contacted, divisional superintendant of Pakistan Post at Chakdara, Iftikhar Ahmed, said he had assumed the office recently and would soon look into the matter.

Published in Dawn, May 15th, 2020