MANSEHRA: The flood-hit people in Manor Valley here on Saturday threatened to block the key Mansehra-Naran-Jalkhad Road over a delay in the construction of roads, bridges and electric turbines.

Resident Jabar Khan told reporters that last week’s flash floods destroyed roads and bridges, causing food shortage and preventing students from accessing the only high school in the valley.

Accompanied by a group of locals, Mr Khan said that Biyar and Pichal roads and 12 bridges were washed away in the floods, cutting off the area from the rest of the district.

“As the infrastructure stands destroyed, the children from Shahkund, Banda Manor, Renhar, Singal Garan, Shak Karian, Chanba, Upper and Lower Sari, and Biyar villages can’t go to their high school,” he said.

Insist Biyar, Pichal roads, bridges washed away in last week’s floods

Another resident, Ghulam Hussain, pointed out that patients, including women, couldn’t reach hospitals in Balakot and Mansehra as all roads and bridges connecting the area with the Mansehra-Naran-Jalkhad Road were swept away in the July 30 flash floods.

He complained about the government’s failure to rehabilitate infrastructure and assess damages in the valley inhabited by over 25,000 people.

Resident Farooq Qurashi insisted that the flood victims had decided to take to the streets to protest the delay in the reconstruction work.

“We’re not opposed to the rehabilitation of the Manor stream bridge on the main MNJ Road but that doesn’t happen by ignoring our plight,” he said.

ILLEGAL TREE FELLING: The forest department in collaboration with the district administration and police on Saturday began a crackdown on forest harvesting and arrested six people for felling trees in the Behali area.

“We’ve made arrests over the violation of a government ban on forest harvesting and tree transportation,” Siren sub-divisional forest officer Murtaza Khan told reporters.

A joint team of the district administration, forest department and police led by assistant commissioner of Mansehra Quratul Ain raided a forest in the Behali area on a tip-off and arrested six people for chopping down trees.

Mr Khan said that the forest department, administration and police were jointly working to check deforestation and wood transportation in Mansehra and other parts of the Hazara division.

Last month, the government slapped a ban on the harvesting of forests and transportation of timber across the province.

It also suspended divisional forest officers Jawad Mumtaz of Siran and Sardar Mohammad Saleem of Battagram for allegedly illegally issuing timber transportation passes in their respective jurisdictions.

Published in Dawn, August 11th, 2024