By: Gul Hamaad Farooqui.
CHITRAL: Reconstruction of Ghocharkoh road is dire need of the era to promote tourism in Kalash valleys. Since Kalash Valley and Shikhananda is a rich forest area, the forest department had built Ghocharkoh road in 1963 to bring Deodar timber from Kalash valley to Chitral, this road passes through KushkanTek village at the foot of the mountain. There are dense forests, open fields and very beautiful tourist spots on this route. When a road was made on the river bank to the Kalash Valley, the traffic on the upper road was stopped, but motorcyclists and some tourists still traveled by foot because its a best trekking way. Now, due to the expansion and construction work on the Kalash road and due to blasting in the mountain, the road is often close for traffic several hours due to which the traffic is jammed and the travellers and tourists are facing a lot of difficulties.
Major Retired Shahzada Sirajul Malik, a well-known social worker and tour operator of Chitral, as well as a local person, Abdul Akbar, say that routes like Ghocharkoh are very attractive for domestic and especially for foreign tourists. They will not travel beneath on main road, but they will prefer to pass through scenic road, because, there are very wide fields and some tourist spots on this route. According to them, if the Ghochar mountain route is made, the tourists will never go to the other route. Going ahead on the same road, there are more than two hundred people living in Kush Kan Tek village who are facing a lot of difficulties in commuting. Abdul Akbar and other local people also demand that traffic should be restored on this road so that they do not face difficulties in bringing the necessary goods.
According to local experts, traffic can be restored within a week with a nominal fund on the road of Ghochar Koh, which will not only provide an alternative way for tourists to travel on it, but also facilitate 230 people living here. It is worth to mention here that by reconstruction of this road can also be restore the irrigation stream that was brought from Sheikhananda to Ghochar village during the era of President Ayub, which will also be able to irrigate thousands of acres barren land. This alternate road of Ghochar Koh starts from Ayun and descends in the village of Sultanabad in Bomburit Valley and joins the main road. By reconstructing of Ghocharkoh road, tourism will also be boosted and by promoting tourism, poverty and unemployment can also be eradicated from this backward area as well.
