NHA starts reopening Mansehra-Naran-Jalkhad road

MANSEHRA: The National Highway Authority (NHA) has started reopening the Mansehra-Naran-Jalkhad road to traffic.

The Kaghan-Babusar Top section of Mansehra-Naran-Jalkhad road was blocked to all sorts of traffic following heavy snowfall in the valley in December last year suspending the traffic within the valley and with Gilgit-Baltistan.

The shovel and excavator machines are cutting glaciers coming in way of the road and according to NHA officials Kaghan-Naran section would be reopened to traffic within a week after removing huge masses of snow. “There are 13 glaciers in way of road from Kaghan to Babusar Top and we have been expecting to restore traffic between Gilgit-Baltistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa by mid-May this year,” said NHA spokesman.

Seth Matiullah, the president of Hoteliers Association in Kaghan valley told reporters that as road between Kaghan-Naran section reopened to traffic the tourism season would start.

He said that as the road reopened up to Naran the link road leading to Saiful Muluk Lake would also be reopened to traffic following removing glaciers. “There is still heavy snow in upper parts of Kaghan valley creating hurdles in reopening the road” said Matiullah.