GILGIT, April 13: The Northern Areas Legislative Council (NALC) has adopted a unanimous resolution demanding turboprop aeroplanes for the region. The resolution tabled by NALC member Wazir Baig (PPP) said tourism in being the mainstay of the region has been experiencing a blow due to weather-dependent and outdated Fokker F-27 planes which are main obstacles in deterring flow of foreign tourists to the Northern Areas.

Mr Baig said a large number of hotels, motels and travel companies are going bankrupt due to problems of tourism over the past three years. "This will help boost tourism in the region and get local tourism entrepreneurs out of their financial woes," he argued.

He said the local people have obtained loans from banks and financial institutions and they would be ruined if tourism were not rehabilitated through concerted efforts.

Speaking on a point of order two other NALC members from Diamer district Haji Amir Jan and Mehboob Ali said that Chilas airstrip should be renovated and upgraded which would help during emergency landings in case weather gets cloudy around Nanga Parbat Peak.

The house observed that a committee would be constituted to persuade PIA chairman for providing all-weather flights to the region. In another resolution, the Northern Areas Legislative Council member Farida Batool informed the house that over 44 women teachers of Gilgit and Skardu Elementary Colleges had not been paid their salaries for the last nine months.

She contended that majority of the teachers were bread-earners of their families. Ms Batool told Dawn that the former secretary education Mehr Dad had transferred these teachers of the Elementary Colleges and now their posts had been abolished in their former department (NAED) and could be rendered jobless.

Responding to the resolution of Ms Batool, the Northern Areas deputy chief executive Fida Muhammad Nashad told the house that they had taken up the teachers' salary case with the relevant department.

Another Northern Areas Legislative Council member Sarfraza Shah on a point of order demanded provision of teachers in middle and high schools of Ghizer which he said were being delayed notwithstanding the fact that a PC-4 has been approved for the same.