Chitralis' protests against non-opening of tunnel go unheard

CHITRAL, Jan 2: The Trade Union Chitral (TUC) and the United Transport Union of Chitral have started a protest sit-in at PIA Chowk demanding the opening of the Lowari tunnel on a daily basis. Trade union president Habib Husain Mughal said the decision of the federal government and the National Highways Authority (NHA) to open the tunnel after every 15 days was not acceptable because with the closure of the tunnel for traffic it would increase the trouble of the people and cause shortage of essential commodities. The government should direct the NHA to facilitate the public by allowing the passage of traffic through the tunnel. Another member of TUC said that the NHA was reportedly insisting on the opening of the tunnel once in 15 days and our public representatives in Chitral have also acknowledged that the government was not heeding to their demand for the opening of the tunnel. The government and the NHA are responsible for providing services to the public not to cause them troubles since half million people of Chitral remained imprisoned in the valley. Are we not the citizens of Pakistan. Other speakers, including the president of the transport union Chitral, said that the closure of tunnel had caused miseries  in Chitral but both the provincial and the federal governments damn cared about these issues. Students generally and patients particularly were facing troubles every time they have to travel to down country and back to Chitral from other parts of the country. Therefore, the tunnel should be kept open for traffic on either consecutive day or a daily basis during the winter season.  ]]>