Swat admin chalks out plan to facilitate tourists during Eid

MINGORA: The Swat district administration has chalked out a comprehensive plan to extend maximum facilities to the tourists during the Eidul Fitr.

The decision was taken on Tuesday at a meeting held with Swat Deputy Commissioner Shahid Mahmood in the chair.

The regional and district high-ups of all line departments, including district police officer, assistant commissioners, town municipal officers and officials from Civil Defence, highways, Rescue 1122, regional information department and representatives of Pak Army attended the meeting.

It was decided that the Tehsil Municipal Administration and Health officials would regularly check the quality and prices of food stuff at shops and hotels. The meeting took a number of decisions to facilitate tourists who are expected to flock the scenic valley on Eid in wake of the summer season.

The Swat district police officer was tasked with taking immediate steps for security, safety, comfortable stay and related facilitation of the tourists with active involvement of regular, traffic warden and tourist police and special branch.

The Civil Defence, Levies, Rescue 1122 and TMAs of all seven tehsils will equally contribute to make all the arrangements a success story.

The Civil Defence has already provided 300 Razakars (volunteers) and Swat Levies 250 personnel to the district police for deployment in Eid days who were properly trained for the purpose to facilitate the vehicular traffic and tourists on the highways right from Marghazar to Kalam and elsewhere in Swat. The weekly and Eid holidays of security, highways, TMAs and health officials were cancelled. It was also decided that all roads either minor or major and highways would be cleared from every kind of hurdles for smooth passage of traffic and no parking or tax collection would be allowed on roadsides.

The light traffic would be diverted to newly constructed Shamozai Road right from Chakdara and Thana to Kabal, Kanju, Matta and Bahrain (leftside of the Swat River). The heavy traffic, including trucks, containers and roadliners would be shifted to the Landaki to Barikot road alongside the right bank of Swat River.

The deputy commissioner asked the National Highway Authority and KP Highway Authority officials to temporarily halt construction work on main road from Landaki to Qamber Bypass with necessary repairs, filling of culverts and regular water sprinkling for smooth passage of vehicular traffic.