Bridge linking Torghar with Malakand collapses

MANSEHRA: The suspension bridge, which links Torghar district headquarters Judbah with Malakand division and the rest of Hazara, collapsed on Sunday.

The incident happened when a loaded jeep was crossing the bridge. However, no loss of life was reported. The bridge was built at the Indus River in Judbah at a cost of Rs12 million in 2010. “This 200-meter long bridge linked Torghar with Swat, Buner and Thakot and patients being taken to hospitals in Hazara would suffer due to this incident,” stated Zahir Khan, a resident of Judbah.

He said that it was the only bridge which could link Torghar district with under-construction Hazara Motorway near Thakot. The resident said the government should construct a concrete bridge in place of the one that has collapsed. Meanwhile, the National Highways Authority (NHA) reopened Kaghan-Naran section of Mansehra-Naran-Jalkhad road to vehicular traffic on Sunday.

The traffic between Naran and the rest of Mansehra district was suspended after heavy snowfall in Kaghan valley in November last year. The volunteers and NHA cut the Gurian glacier near Naran, making way for the traffic. The volunteers of a Chinese company working on the project in Kaghan valley and NHA earlier cut the Surmai, Lundi, Chitta Khatta and Darsari glaciers to reopen traffic up to Naran.

“The NHA delayed the reopening of Kaghan-Naran section of Mansehra-Naran-Jalkhad road, which links Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with Gilgit-Baltistan,” Mohammad Nadeem, an hotelier, told reporters. He said that because of the delay in reopening of the road, the tourism activities couldn’t be started as yet, causing huge financial losses to hoteliers. Nadeem said that slow pace of clearing of the glaciers and snow from the Mansehra-Naran-Jalkhad road up to Babusar Top would also delay resumption of the traffic.

The vehicles, mostly four-wheelers, remained stuck near Naran when NHA made efforts to clear the glacier.