CHITRAL: Widening and construction work has been started on Chitral to Booni Shandor road two years ago and this developmental work has begun after 75 years, on which the people of this tourist area are very happy. Thousands of domestic and foreign tourists also pass on this road every year to see the Qalasht, Broghal and Shandor festivals. However, the public complains that the work standard on this road is very poor. CDM (Chitral Development Movement) a non politicial organization whose members working on volunteer basis they visited the road and reviewed the work on it. CDM members told the media that the protection wall walls on the road side were being made of very poor and sub -standard quality materials. Construction work is not of the standard according to its specification as well as cement work, concrete portion not poured water and there is no proper curing of the work, which is causing the cement work to be damaged and harassed in a few days.
During the CDM’s visit, it was also revealed that the contractor Umar Jan & Company had illegally sublated contract to PT contractors and divided the work of different portions to small contractors and ordinary laborers, which further causing of substandard quality of the work. At the time of the collapsing of the mountain, they drilling a hole some 29 feet long and fill them with ammunition, and then explode it with blasting which caused the whole mountain to become extremely horrible and crack it can fell down any time I case of earthquake or rain, snowfall to cause any major casualty.
Some 150 culverts are building in 75 km road from Chitral to Booni, most of which are unnecessary, but since it gets more money, the contractor is deliberately making maximum culvert. Often the level of the pipe holding in these culverts is not equal where the water comes that edge is down and where water goes out that edge is above as well as the contractor also not curing the concrete layer on these pipe as a result after a few days it will be damaged and become a pile of ash.
The CDM team also met with Deputy Commissioner of Upper Chitral Mohammad Khalid Zaman in his office and told him their grievances on substandard quality of work on Booni road. DC Upper Chitral assured that he would bring their reservations into the the notice of federal government.
During the visit, it was also observed that the resident engineer from Nespak continued to sit in his office instead of to check the quality of work on the road and he never inspected it even he retired from his service but his seat is still vacant. No other engineer has yet been replaced, which has caused the contractor to be given free hand. Chitral’s political and social circle including members of the CDM also urge the federal government to accelerate the work on the road in this tourist area and check the quality of this work and also to an honest engineer to improve it. It should be made so that the road will not be hampered again in a few months after completion, and the people will be able to travel with dust and dust and travel to them.
By Gul Hamaad Farooqi .
