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WAPDA, being the sole provider of electricity in Garam Chashma is also responsible for it's regulation and maintenance, and it must make sure that people get electricity on time and consistently. Having a very short period of operation every day ( five hours in the evening and two hours in the morning) it has left the local power house to it's fate. There is no concept of prompt action whenever there is a disturbance in the line.

 As the winters approach the temperature touches point below the freezing point and people do not have electricity to light (any other usage is impossible due to low power). One of the glaring examples of negligence is a transformer break down in the Zhiture, Garam Chashma. Its capacity is merely 25kilowatt and has to bear some 200 to 250 house holds. For the last twenty days it has been out of order and yet there is no one to repair it or pay heed to the cries of the people. Governance is missing while sheer neglience is displayed by the department.

In spite of the fact that Chitral as a whole is a very snow affected area not to mention the valleys like, Garam Chashma, Karimabad, Arkari, Yarkhun, Madaklast, Torr koh, Murkoh etc. but why don’t the authorities make a proper plan for such hard times, These situations are not in fact incidental but they repeat every year.

Despite some NGOs doing their bit to help the people, there is  a lot to be done to bring up the standard of life of the people. But the matter is not so simple to be solved by the NGOs alone. The cooperation of government remains a key aspect in order to bring a sort of social reformation. This also doesn’t mean to alter the existing system but to enhance the overall situation by providing effective and efficient services at the right place in the right amount and at the right time, most importantly.

The above mentioned specimen is merely one of the many irking issues yet to be addressed and properly eradicated in future so that people may feel being part the country and enjoy the basic rights as every other citizen of the country does. The problem is that no one heeds to the geographic location of this area. Because winters are very harsh and long this area should not be treated as other parts of the country. It remains cut off from rest of the country for more than 4-5 months but our plans are not made accordingly.

When there is strike of a day in the urban areas life becomes very hard and people can not find items of daily use it is highlighted as a day of complete disturbance, but has anyone pondered what happens when we (Chitralis) remain cut off for almost half of the year. 'Hats off' to the people of this area who have been so tough to compete with such circumstances and have been doing this through out their lives.

S. Gohar Ali Shah,

Garam Chashma, Chitral