Red-tape delaying highway reconstruction

Bureaucratic wrangling is delaying the reconstruction of a vital trade route.

ISLAMABAD: Bureaucratic wrangling is delaying the reconstruction of a 24-kilometre stretch of the Karakoram Highway (KKH) that was damaged by a massive landslide early this year, The Express Tribune has learnt. The delays have come despite strict directives from President Asif Ali Zardari.

“Lack of financial resources is another factor for the delay,” said an official from the Planning Commission who wished not to be named.

The highway was destroyed on January 4 when an already crumbling mountain overshadowing a small town of Attabad gave way, burying the village under tons of debris. It also blocked about two kilometres of the Hunza River gorge.

The destruction of the highway had disconnected Gojal Valley from the rest of Hunza, creating serious problems for residents, who depend on this vital link for supplies of food, medicines and other essentials.

A natural lake was created as a result of the landslide, which swamped villages upstream, including Attabad and displaced thousands of people. The displaced people, who number over 25,000 according to one estimate, are yet to be rehabilitated as many villages are still under water. Economic losses run into millions.

The official said the 24-km piece of the highway had been destroyed, requiring construction of another road linking the highway.

A Chinese team of experts visited the site following a formal request from President Zardari and made a few recommendations for the reconstruction of the highway and re-opening of the Hunza River gorge.

Besides Chinese, an American company has also shown interest in the two projects. The National Highways Authority (NHA) and the Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) are also interested in bidding for the projects. So far, the Planning Commission has not been able to determine the financial cost of the projects.

The commission is said to be still in the process of examining the offers made by the Chinese, the Americans, the NHA and the FWO.

The chief minister of Gilgit-Baltistan is said to have thrown his weight behind a Chinese firm while the minister for communications has recommended the NHA for the task. However, the final decision is to be taken by the prime minister on the basis of the recommendations of the Planning Commission, the official said.

Meanwhile, experts have warned that an early decision on the two projects must be taken as the situation would deteriorate further during the upcoming monsoon rains.

The destruction of the KKH section had badly affected trade between Pakistan and China.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 24^th, 2010.