Muddy road troubles passengers

One of the passengers, Engineer Fazle Rabbi, told this corerspondent that hundreds of vehicles got entrapped in the muddy road and the passengers had to disembark and walk on foot. He said the passengers including women, children and the patients, were unable to walk  through the knee-deep water. He alleged that the National Highway Authority (NHA) had totally neglected the road leaving the passengers high and dry. Due to the slight rise in temperature over the couple of days, the snow in the Lowari Pass has started melting triggering avalanches which finally hits the road below the Lowari tunnel on Chitral side. Another passenger Haider Ali of Drosh town said that along with other passengers, he waded through the water leaving behind the women and children screaming with fear. He feared that the long stay of the passengers at the outlet of the tunnel may cause movement of the avalanches which can result heavy casualties. Haji Mohammad Shafa, a truck transporter from Chitral, said that the traffic of trucks to and from the district remains suspended for the last one week as a result of which the commodities of daily may run short. He criticized the NHA for their indifference attitude towards the plight of the road and asked the prime minister and federal minister of communication to rush to the rescue of the people of Chitral.–Zahiruddin]]>