Karakoram Highway cleared for traffic

MANSEHRA: The Upper Kohistan district administration with the help of Frontier Works Organisation and Dasu Hydropower Project management cleared Karakoram Highway (KKH) for traffic on Sunday.

“We have cleared the KKH to all sorts of traffic from Basha to Chakai area and are going to launch a damage survey,” Irfanullah Mehsud, the deputy commissioner of Upper Kohistan, told reporters.

He said the Assessment Survey Teams (AST), including officials of the Revenue Department, Agriculture Department, Livestock Department and Provincial Disaster Management Authority would start a survey of losses triggered by the recent rains and snowfall across the district from Monday ( today).

“This is a mountainous terrene and downpours cause damage to buildings and roads and this is why we have started this survey to estimate losses reported to us during the recent rain spell,” Mehsud said.

He said the Police Lines boundary wall was also partially damaged as rainwater entered the premises. The official said measures were being taken to reconstruct the structure.The official said that though no fatality was reported from across the district, houses caved in might be brought to a record through a damage survey and affected families would be compensated.