MANSEHRA: The residents of Pulrah area have demanded of the government to develop roads and other infrastructure to attract visitors to Koh-i-Bingra area, a picturesque alpine destination in Mansehra.

“Koh-i-Bingra is the highest point in Tanawal area,” Bakhtiar Tanoli, a resident of Pulrah, the headquarters of newly-notified Tanawal tehsil, told reporters.

Flanked by other residents, he said Zahid Chanzeb, adviser to the chief minster on culture and tourism, had announced to bring Tanawal, which was neglected by successive governments, on a par with developed parts of the province, during his campaign for the Feb 8 elections.

“If roads and other infrastructure are developed the number of visitors coming here from across the country to enjoy the soothing environment and nature would increase manifold,” Tanoli said. He said Koh-i-Bingra overlooked Mansehra town.

Shamsur Rehman, another resident, said an ancient shrine – Siri Ziarat – was also located in the widely-stretched alpine strip.

“Tanawal lags behind Kaghan and Siren valleys in development, and the government should construct roads and other infrastructure here to provide employment opportunities to locals,” he said.

KKH REOPENS: Rescue 1122 teams pulled away a loaded truck, which overturned on the Karakoram Highway in Pattan area of Lower Kohistan, clearing the artery to traffic the other day.

“Our team has cleared the artery to traffic after removing the truck,” Malik Sharif, an official of Rescue 1122, told reporters.

He said the driver of the truck, which was on way to Gilgit-Baltistan from Rawalpindi, couldn’t control the vehicle while negotiating a sharp turn, as a result, it overturned on the road in Matta Banda area of Pattan tehsil.“Our team moved the truck away from KKH with a recovery vehicle,” Mr Sharif said.

He said truck driver, Mohammad Yusuf escaped unhurt.

“Our prompt response provided a sigh of relief to motorists and passengers travelling within Hazara division, and between Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and GB,” Mr Sharif said.

Published in Dawn, May 7th, 2024