Govt again fails to construct Kalam Road

Issue is often used as political point scoring mechanism ahead of elections

MINGORA: The dilapidated condition of Kalam valley has been creating difficulties for dwellers and tourists from across the country.

The fragile land communication network is contributing immensely to the miseries of locals and affecting education.

A resident of Kalam valley told The Express Tribune, “Due to deep ditches, it is difficult for us and the tourists to go through the main road leading to Kalam.”

He added, “The condition of this road is so pathetic that majority of tourists go back to Mingora city and call off their plan to visit Kalam.”

He said every political party in its election campaign pledges to construct a main road leading to Kalam valley, but always fail to do so when elected.

“Political parties use Kalam Road for political point scoring, but no government has taken concrete steps to solve it,” one of the locals said.



“Two years ago, an  MPA, Syed Jaffar Shah, inaugurated the construction of this road at a cost of Rs480 million, which was to be provided by the Asian Development Bank (ADB),” he added. “The very next day, people were shocked to see Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Amir Muqam re-inaugurating the same project with the help of the federal government’s assistance. The main road leading to Kalam still awaits construction, despite the double inauguration of construction work.”

Mujahid Torwali, a local journalist from Behrain tehsil, told The Express Tribune, “All the mainstream political parties are active in the valley and aim to get the confidence of people by using Kalam Road issue as a political slogan.”

He added both the federal and provincial governments will face trouble if they fail to construct Kalam Road ahead of the 2018 elections.

Columnist Zubair Torwali said Kalam is the most marginalised area of Swat district in terms of its poor literacy rate.

Idara Barai-e-Taleem (IBT), in its report, blamed the poor land communication network for the deteriorating state of the education sector in the valley.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 8^th, 2016.