ISLAMABAD, Feb 4: The district nazim of Chitral has appealed to President Gen Pervez Musharraf for provision of C-130 planes on an emergency basis to transport relief goods to the calamity-hit Boroghil area of the valley.

Talking to Dawn here on Friday, Shahzada Mohiuddin said over 80 per cent of the 100,000kg items of daily use provided to the district government on the special directives of President Musharraf were still lying at the Chitral town due to unavailability of transport aircraft.

He said two M1-17 helicopters provided for the purpose had been grounded due to shortage of fuel. The nazim said the choppers had made about 10 sorties to the area, about 280km north of the Chitral town, and delivered about 15,000kg relief goods after the district government arranged fuel for them.

"We have no resources to arrange fuel for the aircraft or transport the items to the remote area due to blockade of roads," he said. He said about 200 stranded families were in dire need of food, medicines as well as fodder because the area remained cut off from rest of the district since the October rains and subsequent record snowfall in the area.

The district nazim said the situation was aggravating in the affected area and the people needed assistance immediately. He said if the relief goods were not delivered to the people on time, the whole relief package would go waste.

The government machinery temporary swung into action recently only after a delegation of representatives from the area reached Chitral town, travelling the distance mostly on foot, and sought assistance.