While there is a big gap in road facility between Chitral and other districts of the province the ones available here are in so lamentably poor condition that anyone of us feels concerns about travel on such road that are overwhelmingly Kacha and neglected by the departments concerned. These used to be repaired once a year but this year there was no such kindness. We clearly remember that in the 60s when Chitral was still a state and had no resources whatsoever but the road system of that time also received attention and were repaired once a year during the BD system of Ayub Khan but now in 2018 the concept of governance , let alone good governance slogan of Mr. Khan, there is no such step to be seen and impatience of passengers is being felt during travel on these Kacha roads. The total length of black top roads in our district is the lowest in the province.
The Booni- Chitral road is now in shambles due to negligence and an increased number of vehicles and due to absence of ownership the condition of the road has become ruins of a road of the past that was built just twenty years or so, back. The authorities are least concerned about the condition of the road, its annual repair and maintenance system that was a part of the duties of C& W Division Chitral but if its ownership has been taken over by High Way Authorities then it falls on their shoulders to be active about road maintenance as done in other districts.
Our MNA and MPAs have enjoyed their terms and were divorced by the voters in the recent election and the new MNA and MPA have to take it as a national duty to take steps to improve road conditions of all the valleys of the district as urgent priority. Any delay will lead to winter and repair or reconstruction work will be further delayed. e.g. at Kalak, below Kuragh, the disaster of 2015 has not been seriously taken and after some initial work it has been given up. The rehabilitation work has been abandoned, funds disappeared, the miseries of the passenger vehicles, the inhabitants of the villagers living on both banks of the river, the social importance of the issue etc. have been out rightly ignored. An interesting as well as lamentable aspect is that the so called politicians who tried to buy votes by cash payment and those who sought vote by threats to oust the Muslims from the fold of Islam and send them to Hell by self assumed authority, never talk of the common issues faced by Chitralis as this is a land of misfortunes, a God forsaken hinterland, with innumerable issues that were never addressed by the provincial or Federal governments. Now the communication issues of the district remain the same, the population and number of vehicles has multiplied, the representatives have now as usual, been changed in an illogical way, one section is jubilating its triumph and the other is mourning of its failure but the rest are furious over the treachery of their so called voters who left them at the eleventh hour. The roads inside the district must be given urgent attention for repair, to ease the tension felt by public over the negligence of responsibilities by the departments concerned and the newly elected representatives.. the sooner the better.
Prof. Rahmat Karim Baig
Chitral
