SHANGLA: The roads, including Karakoram Highway, were blocked by landslides here on Monday following rainfall and a hailstorm.

The rain lashed Bisham city, Alpuri, Chakesar, Karora, Shahpur and other areas leading to road blockades. The suspension of traffic stressed out motorists.

The downpour also caused the collapse of part of the Bisham-Khattak Sar Road. The Bisham-Swat Road was blocked by a landslide near Karora area of Chakesar tehsil.

PROBE: Labour minister Shaukat Yousafzai has said he will look into the alleged use of substandard material in development projects in Bisham tehsil.

He told reporters during a visit to Bisham markets on Monday that he’d received several complaints that substandard material had been used in various schemes, and would hold an inquiry into them.

Accompanied by assistant commissioner of Bisham Khurram Rehman Jadoon, the minister inspected grocery shops and sasta bazaars, checked the quality of essential items, and asked shopkeepers about their prices.

He said Prime Minister Imran Khan was taking effective measures to control prices and the establishment of Ramazan sasta bazaars was one of them for the provision of essential goods to the people in the current month of fasting at prices lower than the market’s.

The minister said the government was striving to boost tourism in Shangla to provide the residents with employment opportunities in own district to prevent them from going to ‘coalmine death traps’ for livelihood.

He said the prime minister’s visit to Saudi Arabia would help improve relations between the two countries.

Meanwhile, assistant commissioner Khurram Rehman along with SDPO Zahid Khan visited markets in Bisham city and got five shopkeepers booked for violating lockdown.

Published in Dawn, May 11th, 2021