Bunji bridge yet to be reconstructed

The bridge was swept away by the torrent waters of the Indus in Sept, cutting off the town from rest of the region.

GILGIT: Four months on the people of Bunji are still reeling under the impact of the devastating floods that destroyed communication network and bridges, including the Bunji suspension bridge that remains unrepaired. The bridge was swept away by the torrent waters of the Indus in September cutting off the garrison town from rest of the region.

Residents of Bunji and other adjacent towns complained to The Express Tribune that the road and works department of Gilgit-Baltistan has failed to repair the bridge causing them a lot of inconvenience.

“We are stranded due to the damage of the bridge,” Shaukat Khan, a resident of the area, told The Express Tribune on Friday. “The government is not taking any interest to address the problem,” he said.

He said that the people of Bunji had been using ‘Jaloo’, a makeshift boat of cow hides, to cross the mighty Indus river.

Kaleem Ahmed, another resident who lives in Gilgit, lamented the negligence of the authorities concerned in the reconstruction of the bridge that has made life miserable as people, especially patients, women and children can not reach Gilgit easily in an emergency.

The people of the valley and the personnel of Northern Light Infantry (NLI) are troubled by the lack of interest the authorities have shown in this matter.

Locals have appealed to the Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Minister Mehdi Shah to take notice of the situation.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 27^th, 2010.