Additional funds released for snow-removing operation in Galiyat

ABBOTTABAD: Provincial Minister for Communication and Works Akbar Ayub Khan on Tuesday said the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government had released additional funds to reinforce the ongoing snow-removing operation in Galiyat areas of Abbottabad district.

He ordered to immediately initiate a special operation for speedy removal of snow from the main and link roads of Galiyat as Chief Minister Mahmood Khan had assured to make the required financial resources available for opening the affected roads.

Chairing a meeting at the Nathiagali, he described the heavy snowfall during current season as an emergency-like situation and ordered the authorities concerned to procure new and modern snow-ploughs.

Until that time, Akbar Ayub Khan said, the required machinery must be obtained on rent in order to ensure speedy removal of snow.

The meeting, also attended by the MPAs Sardar Aurangzeb Nalotha, Muhammad Nazir Abbasi, District Nazim Shabbir Ahmed, Deputy Commissioner Amir Afaq and officers of Pakhtunkhwa Highways Authority (PKHA), Communication and Works Department, Galiyat Development Authority and the Tehsil Municipal Administration, discussed ways and means to clean the roads of snow and facilitate the local population as well as tourists.

Assigning the task of opening all the link roads to C&W, GDA, TMA and the district council, the provincial minister said PKHA would be responsible to keep the main Abbottabad-Nathiagali-Barian Road opened for traffic.

He also directed PKHA to ensure removal of snow from all bazaars of Galiyat, including that of Nathiagali, to ensure smooth flow of traffic.

Emphasising the need for informing tourists to avoid travelling to the snowy areas in dangerous weather, he asked the authorities to ensure all possible measures, including salting to dilute slippery remains of snow on the roads.