Lowari Tunnel’s opening for 2-day a week lauded

DIR: Passengers from Chitral praised Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for his directives to allow traffic via Lowari Tunnel for two days a week as hundreds of vehicles passed through it on Tuesday.

Previously the vehicles were allowed to pass through the under-construction Lowari Tunnel on Friday only. The passengers faced difficulties to travel to Chitral in winter due to closure of the Lowari Top after heavy snowfall.

Two-year-old Rehanullah, a resident of Asroom area in Chitral, died a few days back when a vehicle got stuck due to closure of Lowari Top road.Keeping in view the problems of the passengers, the prime minister directed the National Highway Authority (NHA) to allow Chitrali passengers to travel through the Lowari Tunnel twice a week.

Following the PM’s directives, the NHA officials, district administrations of Upper Dir and Chitral told a press conference that the Lowari Tunnel would remain open to traffic twice a week.

Gul Hamad, a resident of Chitral, said that the prime minister took a timely step by directing the NHA authorities to allow the passengers to use the tunnel twice a week. Faheedullah Khan, focal person for the Upper Dir administration, said that more than 300 vehicles from Dir side travelled through Lowari Tunnel and over 200 vehicles from Chitral side.

He said the district administration had established helping points in Panakot, Belanzai and Maina Khwar and deployed Levies personnel. He said the number of the vehicles was comparatively low as passengers and drivers were not aware that the tunnel would be opened on Tuesday.