UNDP team assures Arkari residents of help to resolve issues

ARKARI: A team from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) visited Arkari valley where a large number of people welcomed and thanked them for taking a trip to the most backward area of Chitral.

The locals shed light on the issues of the area and said that Arkari was prone to glacial lake outburst floods (GLOF). There are no proper roads and telecommunication links and people always face lots of hardship.

Addressing the locals, the visiting team said they were in the area to have a firsthand information about the local issues.

They assured the local people that their issues would be taken up with authorities concerned for solution on a priority basis.

The UNDP team comprised Abid Majeed, secretary relief and rehabilitation and settlement; Farhad Bangash, provincial coordinator for UNDP GLOF project; Iqtidarul Mulk, field officer UNDP GLOF project; Naseem Ahmed, director agriculture Chitral, and Altaf Ahmed, subdivisional officer wildlife department Chitral.

Those who spoke on behalf of the local residents included Rahim Khan, Fida Muhammad, Zar Khan Huzoor, Abdul Karim and Sarfaraz Hussain.