People suffer as KKH blockade continues

The prolonged blockade of the Karakoram Highway (KKH) has left a number of passengers stranded.


Express April 23, 2011

GILGIT:


The prolonged blockade of the Karakoram Highway (KKH) has left a number of passengers stranded in Chilas and Kohistan while escalating prices of food items in parts of Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B).


Heavy landslide triggered by rain blocked KKH near Dassu on March 17, cutting off G-B from the rest of the country.

Passengers reaching Gilgit on Friday said that hundreds of loaded trucks and passenger buses were parked on both sides of the blockade, waiting for the debris to clear. Most passengers travelling on public transport did cross the debris, while risking their lives.

“Work is in progress as Frontier Works Organisation machinery is clearing the debris,” said Ahmed Ali, a resident of Gilgit who got back from Besham on Friday.

He said that some debris on the KKH had been removed, letting light vehicles pass. He added that women, children and the elderly faced immense difficulty crossing the debris on foot to change buses.

Meanwhile, an acute shortage of food items has hit Chilas, escalating prices of food items manifold.

“The price of bread has shot up from Rs10 to Rs15-20 at hotels,” said Mujeeb Khan, another Gilgit resident. Khan was one of the many passengers who managed to reach the town on Friday.

Passengers said there was also a scarcity of fruit, chicken, and vegetables in Chilas. G-B depends entirely on KKH for all of its supplies. FWO officials are busy clearing the debris and were expected to have cleared by Saturday morning.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 23rd, 2011.

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