MINGORA, Jan 19: The Kalam hill station remained cut off from Mingora with the road having been blocked due to heavy snowfall and rain over the past two days. Many roads in Swat and district Shangla are closed and the Swat district administration dispatched three bulldozers to Kalam to clear snow on Thursday.

Malam Jabba, Kalam and other areas in Swat received heavy snowfall on Wednesday. Poran and Chakisar roads and Shangla Top were also closed to traffic due to heavy snowfall.

The two districts are also in grip of freezing weather with the temperatures being between minus three and zero degree Celsius.

The wet and cold weather has also caused a sharp increase in prices of liquefied petroleum gas, coal and wood as shopkeepers were charging rates according to their will.

A severe shortage of food items and medicines was also feared in the upper parts of Swat district as communication links had been cut off due to avalanches at Kalam, Mataltan, Mahoodhand, Utror and Gabral.

Local MPA Malik Ameerzada told Dawn on Thursday that he had contacted the provincial government, but the district administration sent only three bulldozers to the affected areas.

He said that the roads could not be cleared by only three bulldozers, and added that the government must send heavy machinery and equipment to the areas to restore road links.

He also demanded of the health department to send doctors to all affected areas as the people had contracted pneumonia and other diseases due to the severe cold.

Mr Ameerzada said that telephone lines and electricity supply in the mountainous areas too had been cut off for the last few days due to heavy snow and rainfall.

He demanded of the provincial government to arrange for some helicopters so that relief could be sent to some inaccessible areas in Swat and Shangla districts.