Lowari Tunnel needs maintenance

Chitral -- With winters on the anvil and closure of the Lowari pass a possibility anytime from now,  the tunnel would again be the focus of attention of all travelers to and from Chitral..

Last year the tunnel provided welcome reprieve to the Chitrali people when the pass was closed, but the quality of management of travelers through the tunnel left much to be desired. The pits, ditches and water puddles inside the tunnel should be cleared and the ditches be filled with the stone crushed debris available in abundance right at the tunnel. The water seepage should be channelised on one side so that no pools are created in the middle of the tunnel..

All this can be achieved in one week with very little expenditure and effort, provided there is a will from the tunnel management. It is hoped that this year the tunnel passage would be better managed  keeping the poor travelers on top priority, unlike last year when the resouceless traveler was last on the priority list of the NHA management.  --CN report, 28 Sept 10

Comment 1
With reference to Chitral News report regarding the maintenance of Lawari tunnel, I would like to add few words in this regard. On 15th September, I had an opportunity to travel through the Tunnel for the first time along with my family members. The Tunnel road is uneven. One can encounter ditches, pits and water puddles while traveling through the tunnel. But it is a fact that its blessings are predominant as compared to hardship faced during the travel. My friend Abdul Samad Khan, the GM of Lawari, facilitating the travel through the tunnel, had ordered his subordinates to make the travel pleasant.

With these few words, I would like to share two good news with the readers of Chitral news and other on line papers. The first one is that the Government has ordered and provided the required funds to National High way authorities for the purpose of widening the present Lawari road tunnel .In circumstances; one cannot expect to fill the ditches and cleansing the water seepages in near future.

Through this tunnel the Government is desirous to connect with central Asian States. In near future,Chitral is likely to become the hub of business activities. This why we have been issuing warning to the owners of agriculture land and other landed properties not to sell their land / properties to non Chitralis/aliens at this juncture at low prizes. This would be detrimental to interest of coming generation.
 

The second good news is that, the two kilometer road tunnel between Ziarat and Ashret is also nearing completion.. --(Fazal Elahi Qazi, Islamabad, 29 Sept 10)

Comment 2

This is with reference to the the recap of the journey through the tunnel by one of the esteemed readers. While on one hand the common folks have to travel all over the pass to get to the other side, some privileged ones have the luxury of going through the tunnel, thanks to their connections with the higher authorities there. Instead of using it selectively the tunnel should be open for the general public as well, so that a few hours of their tiresome travel can be reduced. The staff's presence there is meant for the speedy completion of the project nor for using it for the travel of their near and dear ones at the expense of the common people.--Imran Khan,,Quaid e Azam University Islamabad, 30 Sept 10