Trash littered by revelers at Qaqlasht left to rot

CHITRAL: It seems the government is only interested in working to draw tourists to the scenic spots and considers making arrangements to clean the venues after any festival none of its business.

Every year, thousands of tourists from within Chitral and outside throng Shandur and Qaqlasht for the annual festivals and leave behind heaps of trash and garbage to be disposed of by none of the government agencies but volunteers and environment activists. But this job is becoming impossible for the citizens without any government support.

The local residents have called upon the government authorities to take measures to educate the tourists not to litter in and around the venues of the festivals and take the responsibility of properly disposing of the leftover litter and garbage after the end of the events.

During a gathering outside the office of the assistant commissioner Chitral on Thursday, environment activist Rehmat Ali said he would launch a hunger strike if the KPK Tourism Development Corporation and the district administration did not take steps to dispose of the trash in Qaqlasht within a few days.

He said Qaqlasht and Shandur had the importance of national parks but the tourism department and other government authorities were not ready to protect the environment there. Reporting: –Muhkam Uddin Ayuni