Lowari Tunnel road cleared in Upper Dir, still blocked in Chitral

DIR: Snow and avalanche have been removed from Lowari Tunnel road in Upper Dir district, however, the facility is still closed to traffic due to snow on the route in Baradom area that falls in jurisdiction of Chitral district.

Also, the district administration of Upper Dir rescued the stranded passengers and provided them shelters and other facilities near Lowari Tunnel, after Deputy Commissioner Upper Dir Khalid Iqbal Khattak issued directives in this regard. The passengers were provided food by the district administration and also heaters to warm them.

The main Dir-Kumrat road was also opened to traffic as snow has been cleared from the road. However, residents of Thal area said that snow from the road was still not fully removed and it posed risks to movement of vehicles.

Heavy machinery of the National Highway Authority removed snow from the Lowari Tunnel road. Project director NHA Rafiq Alam said that the avalanche had been removed and road was opened to traffic; however, the road was still closed to traffic due to a big amount of snow on the road in Baradom area in limits of Chitral district. He said that the drivers should avoid plying the road till it is cleared. Apart from main roads, most of the links roads in Upper Doog Darra, Siyasin, Jandrai, Gawadi, Palam, Hatan Darra, Zayarano, Nasrat Darra, and Bin Darra were still closed to traffic due to heavy snowfall. Residents of these areas said that they were facing lots of miseries due to closure of link roads. They said locals were also facing shortage of food items. Assistant Commissioner Sheringal Muhammad Saqib Khan visited various roads including main Dir-Kohistan road and examined the rescue work.

He said that tractors had been moved to various link roads and some of them had been cleared; however, the remaining roads would be reopened soon. Local residents demanded the district administration and provincial government to provide machinery for clearing snow from roads and early restoration of electricity supply.