Laspur residents help stranded tourists wholeheartedly

CHITRAL: The residents of Laspur extended help and hospitality to a large number of tourists stranded due to flooding in the area.

The local residents rushed to the spot on Sunday and Monday when they heard about the plight of hundreds of stranded tourists returning from the Shandur Polo Festival in Upper Chitral caused by the flash floods in the area. They provided the stranded tourists with food and accommodation.

Talking to The News after reaching Chitral Town, Ihsan Tahir, a tourist from Lahore, said that the people of Laspur proved to be of great help to them, who helped the stranded tourists wholeheartedly. “They provided us food and accommodation for stay at night. We thank the local residents for their help and hospitality,” the tourist said, adding that it was difficult for them to spend the night under the open sky.

The Khyber Pakhtun­khwa government had allocated huge funds for the Shandur Polo Festival this year but had not improved the infrastructure and communication system to facilitate the tourists and local residents. The roads are in dilapidated condition while the bridges have been washed away by the recent flash floods caused by glacial lake outburst flooding (GLOF) in various areas of the district.

Hundreds of tourists, who were returning from Shandur Polo Festival, had been stranded due to floods in three streams in the Laspur area of the district. According to police, flooding in at least three nullahs had left about 1,000 to 1,500 vehicles stranded.

The Laspur area is situated about 130 kilometres north of Chitral town. It is located at the mouth of the Shandur Top, the highest polo ground in the world.