Ride at your own risk

A battered old chair-lift is currently the sole link of the flood-ravaged Gaise Valley with the rest of the world.

GILGIT: A battered old chair-lift, no better than an elevated ropeway, is currently the sole link of the flood-ravaged Gaise Valley with the rest of the world. Its precarious state has raised fears of a human tragedy in the region, already reeling from the devastation of the recent flash floods.

“Garaa’ri, the local name of the chair-lift, is in a poor condition, and can collapse anytime,” Muhammad Jamil, a resident of Gaise Valley, told The Express Tribune on Monday. Apart from passengers, relief goods are also transported to the valley through this Garaa’ri.

On August 10, lightning struck the valley, triggering massive landslides and flash floods that killed 52 people, besides washing away hundreds of houses, crops and cattle.

The lone suspension bridge connecting Gaise with the strategic Karakoram Highway was also damaged, leaving nearly 10,000 residents stranded in the valley. But when Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani visited the valley after the disaster, the local administration made makeshift arrangements to facilitate the homeless people and to allow relief goods to pour in.

The chair-lift travels on a 100-metre long rope tied to the other end of the river towards the Karakoram Highway.

“Despite the prime minister’s orders, no effort has been made to restore Gaise Valley’s road link with the rest of the country,” a resident told The Express Tribune by phone. In one trip eight to 10 villagers are loaded onto the chair-lift which is becoming increasingly dangerous with each passing day.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 5^th, 2010.