CHITRAL: Lower Chitral’s sub-tehsil Garam Chashma, located 45 kilometers from Chitral city on the border with Afghanistan’s Badakhshan province, is famous for its hot springs and potato crop.
Due to the dilapidated condition of the road, it takes three hours for ordinary vehicles to reach Garam Chashma, while freight trucks require up to seven hours.Locals believe that if the road were improved, the area could attract not only traders but also a large number of tourists, as the hot spring’s water is considered a natural remedy for various skin diseases.
Every year, hundreds of people from down districts visit the spring for bathing, providing a livelihood for the local population.Garam Chashma also exports potatoes worth millions of rupees annually to other districts. The potato crop has now ripened, and traders from the plains have begun arriving. A potato trader, Gul Zareen, said the potatoes of
Garam Chashma are of excellent quality and sell quickly in markets once transported.
However, he pointed out that poor road access from remote areas to Garam Chashma’s main market creates major hurdles, even though the region exports potatoes worth over Rs 500 million every year.
Local resident Nabi Rehmat said that although the Chitral-Garam Chashma Road has been handed over to the National Highway Authority after persistent demands of the people, no tangible benefit has yet been seen.He added that although Rs270 million were allocated some time ago for road repairs, there is no visible sign of improvement.