Nathiagali-Bakot Road closed for fourth day

Communications links have been cut due to heavy snow

ABBOTTABAD: Following the recent heavy snowfall, most of the link roads in Galiyat valley remained covered by snow for the eighth consecutive day, exposing residents to travel problems, area people told The Express Tribune on Wednesday.

Murree Road from Bagnotar to Nathiagali, was mostly clear, but motorists had to use chains during the evening and early morning hours, local residents said. GDA officials, however, claimed that all the roads in Galiyat were cleared of snow.

Residents of the Galiyat area said snowfall and occasional rain had intermittently hit Galiyat valley from January 3 to 8, due to which all link roads and the main Abbottabad-Murree road were covered with anywhere between 20 and 60 centimetres of snow. After the snowfall, vehicular traffic on all minor roads linking several rural localities with the main towns of Nathiagali and Abbottabad was suspended. As the authorities failed to clear these snow laden roads life in large parts of Galiyat remained paralysed exposing the villagers to problems relating to daily life.

Sardar Khalid Khan, a social activist from Nathiagali told The Express Tribune that the Nathiagali-Bakot Road, Nathiagali-Malach Road, Dungagali-Sukakas Road, Mochidhara-Jaswara Road, Kalabagh-Sajangali Road, Baragali-Chahar Road, Toheedabad-Pasala Road, Changlagali-Tajwal Road, Kozagali-Ayubia Road, Nathiagali-Namlimaira Road, Kalabagh- Kalapani Road, Riyala-Palak Road, Thandiyani-Pattan Kalan Road, Nathiagali-Khun Kalan Road, were the roads that have yet to be completely cleared of snow, due to which the mobility of traffic was difficult.

He said that although GDA, CW and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Highway Authority have used machinery and salt, the roads were not fully cleared, making travelling perilous.

Saeed Abbasi, a resident of Bakot, said that the Nathiagali-Bakot Road, which links a population of over 100,000 from the six union councils of Bakot circle, was closed for the last eight days and the authorities could not make the five km strip usable.

“Even if Cantonment Board Donga Gali clears the half km strip falling in its revenue limits, the slow work by contractors of GDA and CW becomes an obstacle,” he said adding that GDA send its machines for removing snow but the slow work continued till the evening and after Asar time, melting snow had frozen into ice on the road.

Sardar Waqar a resident of Mochi Dhara told that every year, K-P Highway Authorities, Communication and Works department and Galiyat Development Authority contract out snow clearing to private contractors paying them millions. But since the contractors were the front men of some influential figures of the area, they use delay tactics to enhance profitability.

Meanwhile, Ahsan Hameed, spokesperson for Galiyat Development Authority, denied that the roads of Galiyat were covered with snow, adding that all the roads in Galiyat valley were clear and being used by motorists.

About the modus operandi, he said snow removal starts when snowfall reached 20 cm and despite the fact the snow continued lashing the area during this time, the contractors removed it during the day as road clearing after evening time is difficult.

He told that GDA has 29 km of roads which included Bariyan to Bara Gali strip of main Abbottabad-Murree Road and link roads of Khera Gali Township, Changla Gali Township, Donga Gali Township, Nathiagali Township and Ayubia Township. While KP Highway Authority has 35 km strip of main Abbottabad-Murree Road from Bagnotar to Bariyan, Communication and Works Department has link roads of 26 km in its administrative area and Tehsil Municipal Authority Abbottabad has some other 35 km of carpeted and un-metalled roads.

Ahsan also shared the list of roads with The Express Tribune that were shown cleared of snow while the snow clearing work on only four roads in Thandiyani was under way until the afternoon of Wednesday. To a question, Ahsan said that salting on Nathiagali-Bakot Road was in progress and the road would be ready for use by Wednesday evening.

To a question, he claimed that since snow also attracts tourists, the GDA was utilising its efforts to promote vacationing.

He said that GDA has set up a help desk for the first time to facilitate tourists and area people. About water shortage complaints, he said that in areas where the water lines have frozen or burst due to the cold, the GDA was supply potable water with the help of four tankers that operate round-the-clock.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 12^th, 2017.