|
Terrible period for Chitralis
The News
Delawar Jan
PESHAWAR: Terrible period for the people of Chitral have
again started with the closure of Lowari Top, situated 10,500 feet above
the sea level, as they are forced to cross it on foot in freezing cold.
Poignant memories of Chitralis returned Friday when one-month-old child
was frozen to death at the Top while his parents along with a convoy of
50 people were crossing the snow-capped Lowari Pass.
A man, Ali Khan, who accompanied the convoy, told The News by phone the
sorry tale of the ill-fated family. He said that the woman was shifted
to Peshawar for delivery a month ago, but due to bad weather, which led
to closure of the Top, she could not be taken back to Chitral. However,
a month later they decided to take on the Top, which tires, freezes and
kills.
As they reached the top after two hours of trekking, the one-month-old
child succumbed to freezing cold, shell-shocking the troubled and
helpless parents.
The Lowari Top, located some 240 kilometres northwest of Peshawar, was
blocked a week ago after heavy snowfall but could not be cleared so far.
Snowfall blocks the Top for all kinds of traffic in every winter and
cuts off the landlocked Chitral district from the rest of the country
for at least three to four months.
One has to cover a distance of 15 kilometres on a thickly snow-clad
mountain with a high risk of storms, blizzards and avalanches. People
usually trek from Gujar Kallay village (Dir Upper) to Ziarat (Chitral)
to cross the top. In between the two places Chidala, Dara Khaur, Khooni
Khaur (killer stream) and Daro Khaur are the most dangerous points as
avalanches often strike there.
Officials of the National Highway Authority (NHA) and police rescued 35
passengers trapped in Lowari Pass during snowfall a week ago, a rare
happening.
Last year, it killed 12 persons.
Due to the recent snowfall, construction work on Lowari Tunnel, Rs10
billion mega rail tunnel project that would connect Chitral with the
rest of the country was suspended and could not be resumed due to
inclement weather. The tunnel is about to complete but despite claims by
the authorities, it seems the tunnel could not be made functional this
year.
During its closure, people are forced to cross it on foot to reach their
destinations but often the trekkers are killed by avalanches, freezing
cold and winds.
During the December-March period, avalanches bury and storm and blizzard
freeze groups of trekkers at Top, dubbed by locals as Killer Mountain,
but still Chitralis have no option.
This year, the people of Chitral were not allowed to use an alternative
road running through the war-torn Afghanistan, a route used in winter
previously.
The only access for people in winter is aerial route but that is also
conditional to clear weather besides being costly.
The people of Chitral in Peshawar demanded a 50 per cent cut in PIA fare
for three months and an increase in the number of flights. They also
demanded of the government to start helicopter service from Dir to
Chitral.
|