Dir residents demand construction of bridge

DIR: Residents of Bar Kalay, a remote area of Gowaldi Darra in the Kohistan valley of Upper Dir district, have demanded the construction of a suspension bridge as they are compelled to risk their lives by crossing the river via a hand-made temporary bridge. The residents said that they were facing extreme miseries while crossing the river. They said that they used the bridge for a very long time and no one was giving attention to their difficulties as the elected representatives, both former and present ones, had allegedly ignored the important issue of their area.

Ijaz Anjum, a resident of Gowaldi, said that a population of thousands in the village put their lives in danger while crossing the bridge. He said the level of the water in the river rises in the summer season and it would not pose a greater risk to the residents to go to other parts of Gowaldi Darra by crossing the bridge. Ibrahim Khan, another resident of the area, said that they had repeatedly demanded the construction of a safe bridge on the spot for the Bar Kalay residents but the elected representatives ignored the issue.