SHANGLA: The Shangla-Swat Road was blocked owing to a huge landslide here on Wednesday.

Police said that big boulders and stones rolled down from the mountains and blocked the road in Ranyal area. As a result, a large number of cars and passenger vehicles were stranded.

The police said that the passengers, including women, children and elderly, were stuck on the road.

Sawab Gul, a passenger, who accompanied his family, told Dawn that they were going to Bisham hospital but got stuck due to closure of the road. He said despite the road was closed for several hours work on removing the boulders could not be started.

Nazir Ahmed of Karora area said the stranded people were suffering in chilly weather.

Assistant Commissioner, Bisham, Javed Iqbal, when contacted, told Dawn that National Highway Authority had failed to take immediate steps to clear the road of the landslide.

He said he had contacted NHA authorities about the road closure but they did not give a positive response.

“It is responsibility of NHA to immediately clear the road whenever such incidents occur.”

Mr Iqbal said the landslides continued at various points along the road, adding he had requested the Khan Khwar hydropower project officials to reopen the road for at least light traffic.

When contacted, NHA project director Ashfaq Ahmed told this scribe that work on clearing the road had been started and it would be reopened to traffic soon.

HOSPITAL SHORT OF DRUGS: The people of Chakesar have complained about shortage of life-saving drugs in the tehsil headquarters hospital.

Talking to reporters, the residents, including local government representatives, said the Chakesar hospital catered to the healthcare needs of over 150,000 people. About 200 patients visit the facility daily, but the unavailability of medicines forces them to go elsewhere for seeking treatment, they added.

Gohar Ali, a local, said he took her wife to the hospital for delivery, but the doctors asked him to bring medicines and syringes from the medical stores outside the hospital.

Musharaf Shah, a social activist, said that woman patients were particularly hassled as there was no lady doctor at the hospital.

The locals threatened to come onto the roads if the health department did not take notice of the situation.

Published in Dawn, February 23rd, 2017