CHITRAL: District Police Officer Chitral (DPO) Sher Akbar Khan distributed documents of plots amongst widows of police officials who were killed during their officials' duty.
The DPO gave documents of five and 10 marla plots at Regi Lalma Peshawar to the heirs of the martyred police officials at his office.
He handed over documents of 10 marlas to wife of ASI Gulsambar Khan, who was killed in a suicide attack at Arandu border.
Addressing on the occasion, the DPO said this was not substitute to the sacrifices of our martyred cops.
Meanwhile, talking to local political and religious leaders the DPO warned that no one would be allowed to disturb peaceful environment of Chitral. He said Chitral was a peaceful district and the government will maintain the situation at every cost and every militant or miscreant would be handled with iron hands.
Friday, August 15, 2008
Plots distributed among heirs of policemen
CHITRAL: District Police Officer Chitral (DPO) Sher Akbar Khan distributed documents of plots amongst widows of police officials who were killed during their officials' duty.
The DPO gave documents of five and 10 marla plots at Regi Lalma Peshawar to the heirs of the martyred police officials at his office.
He handed over documents of 10 marlas to wife of ASI Gulsambar Khan, who was killed in a suicide attack at Arandu border.
Addressing on the occasion, the DPO said this was not substitute to the sacrifices of our martyred cops.
Meanwhile, talking to local political and religious leaders the DPO warned that no one would be allowed to disturb peaceful environment of Chitral. He said Chitral was a peaceful district and the government will maintain the situation at every cost and every militant or miscreant would be handled with iron hands.
The DPO gave documents of five and 10 marla plots at Regi Lalma Peshawar to the heirs of the martyred police officials at his office.
He handed over documents of 10 marlas to wife of ASI Gulsambar Khan, who was killed in a suicide attack at Arandu border.
Addressing on the occasion, the DPO said this was not substitute to the sacrifices of our martyred cops.
Meanwhile, talking to local political and religious leaders the DPO warned that no one would be allowed to disturb peaceful environment of Chitral. He said Chitral was a peaceful district and the government will maintain the situation at every cost and every militant or miscreant would be handled with iron hands.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Chitral streets teem with garbage, where is TMA
Report Zahiruddin, Chitral
Chitral city is teeming with heaps of garbage, as the tehsil municipal administration (TMA) has not cleared these, for the last one year, residents here said.
Residents of the area said while talking to this scribe said that the roads and open spaces were littered with waste, which had defaced the city. They said that this situation could also lead to outbreak of different diseases. They complained that few years ago, Chitral was known for its clean surroundings and atmosphere, but over the last few years, it had changed for the worst.
The residents alleged that the TMA authorities were totally indifferent to its basic duty of maintaining cleanliness in the city.
They said that most of the people had directed their houses sewage lines into the water of the river and the streams flowing in the city. They said that the riverbed and the banks of the streams had become the dumping sites of filth produce of the city and in the summer season, they stink so strong that one cannot pass by easily.
They said that the butchers and the hotel owners throw their waste into the stream running across the city, where tons of garbage had accumulated now beside the Bazaar Bridge.
They said that in the absence of public latrines, the people were forced to urinate in the open space, which further worsens the situation. The residents said that the poor situation of sanitation gave a bad impression of the city to the tourists.
They said that the Chew Bridge area, which gave a magnificent view of the peak of Trichmir and was a famous picnic spot, had become the dirtiest place in the city.
The residents complained that due to the negligence of the TMA, all the hotel owners throw their garbage into the bank of River Chitral at Chew. The oil wastes of the motor workshops on the other side of the Chew Bridge, is also not checked by the TMA.
One Shokhor Khan, a shopkeeper in his eighties, remembered with great nostalgia the days when the city was spotless, neat and tidy during the days of the former princely state.
When the Tehsil Nazim, Sartaj Ahmed Khan was contacted, he said that lack of resources was the main obstacle in keeping the city clean. He admitted that solid wastes had not been disposed of since long.
Sartaj Ahmed said that TMA Chitral had only one tractor-trolley to remove the garbage from different localities of the city and had requested the provincial government for five more tractors trolleys.
Chitral city is teeming with heaps of garbage, as the tehsil municipal administration (TMA) has not cleared these, for the last one year, residents here said.
Residents of the area said while talking to this scribe said that the roads and open spaces were littered with waste, which had defaced the city. They said that this situation could also lead to outbreak of different diseases. They complained that few years ago, Chitral was known for its clean surroundings and atmosphere, but over the last few years, it had changed for the worst.
The residents alleged that the TMA authorities were totally indifferent to its basic duty of maintaining cleanliness in the city.
They said that most of the people had directed their houses sewage lines into the water of the river and the streams flowing in the city. They said that the riverbed and the banks of the streams had become the dumping sites of filth produce of the city and in the summer season, they stink so strong that one cannot pass by easily.
They said that the butchers and the hotel owners throw their waste into the stream running across the city, where tons of garbage had accumulated now beside the Bazaar Bridge.
They said that in the absence of public latrines, the people were forced to urinate in the open space, which further worsens the situation. The residents said that the poor situation of sanitation gave a bad impression of the city to the tourists.
They said that the Chew Bridge area, which gave a magnificent view of the peak of Trichmir and was a famous picnic spot, had become the dirtiest place in the city.
The residents complained that due to the negligence of the TMA, all the hotel owners throw their garbage into the bank of River Chitral at Chew. The oil wastes of the motor workshops on the other side of the Chew Bridge, is also not checked by the TMA.
One Shokhor Khan, a shopkeeper in his eighties, remembered with great nostalgia the days when the city was spotless, neat and tidy during the days of the former princely state.
When the Tehsil Nazim, Sartaj Ahmed Khan was contacted, he said that lack of resources was the main obstacle in keeping the city clean. He admitted that solid wastes had not been disposed of since long.
Sartaj Ahmed said that TMA Chitral had only one tractor-trolley to remove the garbage from different localities of the city and had requested the provincial government for five more tractors trolleys.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
More girls colleges for Chitral demanded
The residents of Chitral have demanded increase in the seats of first-year both in science and humanities groups so that hundreds of female students could be able to get admissions.
Talking to this correspondent, they said in the public sector there was only one college in the whole district which has only 50 seats for science group and 150 for humanities which are quite insufficient for a population of 500,000. They said despite getting first division in the matriculation examination, their daughters were deprived of admission. They said majority of the people are poor and cannot afford the tuition fee of the private colleges and they had no alternative other than discontinuing the studies of their daughters.--Zahiruddin (chitraltoday.com)
Talking to this correspondent, they said in the public sector there was only one college in the whole district which has only 50 seats for science group and 150 for humanities which are quite insufficient for a population of 500,000. They said despite getting first division in the matriculation examination, their daughters were deprived of admission. They said majority of the people are poor and cannot afford the tuition fee of the private colleges and they had no alternative other than discontinuing the studies of their daughters.--Zahiruddin (chitraltoday.com)
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Chitral BHUs without doctors
Report Zahiruddin, Chitral
The People's Programme for Healthcare Initiative (PPHI) has yet to solve the basic problem of the acute shortage of doctors in its basic health units (BHUs) in Chitral, the people complained. They said one year ago, the PPHI, then called President's Programme for Healthcare Initiative, had taken over all the 21 BHUs of the district to improve their functioning which were in disordered form with the result that the patients relied on the DHQ hospital from all the nooks and corners of the district. Most of the BHUs were being run without doctors and without diagnostic facilities while the buildings were in dilapidated conditions. They said although the PPHI improved the infrastructure of the health units to a good degree but the problems of absence of doctors and diagnostic facilities still persists. The provision of medicines has also been ensured to all the BHUs in sufficient quantities but without a doctor who will prescribe the medicines, they asked. The PPHI has so far appointed only four doctors for the 21 BHUs, they said, adding the number is quite insufficient and meaningless.
A doctor has to cover three or more BHUs simultaneously which is humanly not possible as the population is sparse and the distance between the BHUs are very large to be covered on daily basis. They said the joint-doctor of the BHUs encamps himself in one BHU and visits the others very seldom due to the problems of communication as the doctor has no transport facility at his disposal to go to the other stations at will while it takes two days or more if one walks on feet, they said. The situation worsens in the winter season when due to the snow and avalanches, it become more difficult to move from one valley to another. Citing example, they said that the Nishko BHU, where the doctor is stationed, remains cut off from Terich, Rech and Khot valleys in the winter season for vehicular traffic where BHUs are
existing. They questioned that how a lonely doctor can perform duty in such stations, they questioned. Regarding the diagnostic facilities, the residents said that even the presence of doctor is meaningless when there are no diagnostic facilities. They said that even a simple urine and blood test is not available in the BHU and one has to go to the DHQ hospital for the purpose while without preliminary diagnosis, no treatment is possible. They said that just the renovation of a hospital building is not
the solution of the healthcare problems and the provision of medicines will relieve the poor people of the remote areas only when doctors are available to them.--Chitraltoday.com
The People's Programme for Healthcare Initiative (PPHI) has yet to solve the basic problem of the acute shortage of doctors in its basic health units (BHUs) in Chitral, the people complained. They said one year ago, the PPHI, then called President's Programme for Healthcare Initiative, had taken over all the 21 BHUs of the district to improve their functioning which were in disordered form with the result that the patients relied on the DHQ hospital from all the nooks and corners of the district. Most of the BHUs were being run without doctors and without diagnostic facilities while the buildings were in dilapidated conditions. They said although the PPHI improved the infrastructure of the health units to a good degree but the problems of absence of doctors and diagnostic facilities still persists. The provision of medicines has also been ensured to all the BHUs in sufficient quantities but without a doctor who will prescribe the medicines, they asked. The PPHI has so far appointed only four doctors for the 21 BHUs, they said, adding the number is quite insufficient and meaningless.
A doctor has to cover three or more BHUs simultaneously which is humanly not possible as the population is sparse and the distance between the BHUs are very large to be covered on daily basis. They said the joint-doctor of the BHUs encamps himself in one BHU and visits the others very seldom due to the problems of communication as the doctor has no transport facility at his disposal to go to the other stations at will while it takes two days or more if one walks on feet, they said. The situation worsens in the winter season when due to the snow and avalanches, it become more difficult to move from one valley to another. Citing example, they said that the Nishko BHU, where the doctor is stationed, remains cut off from Terich, Rech and Khot valleys in the winter season for vehicular traffic where BHUs are
existing. They questioned that how a lonely doctor can perform duty in such stations, they questioned. Regarding the diagnostic facilities, the residents said that even the presence of doctor is meaningless when there are no diagnostic facilities. They said that even a simple urine and blood test is not available in the BHU and one has to go to the DHQ hospital for the purpose while without preliminary diagnosis, no treatment is possible. They said that just the renovation of a hospital building is not
the solution of the healthcare problems and the provision of medicines will relieve the poor people of the remote areas only when doctors are available to them.--Chitraltoday.com
Wanted a bridge for Yarkhun valley
By Zar Alam Khan
WINTER in most parts of Chitral brings miseries. But for the last over two years summer has become even more traumatic for the dwellers of the far-off Yarkhun valley. From April to October each year, residents in hundreds of villages dotting the valley on both sides of the river up to the Boroghil pass on the border of Afghanistan remain deprived of even free movement to and out of the area.
The only jeep-able bridge over the Yarkhun River connecting the valley of over 35,000 people with other parts of the district was washed away in August 2006. The stranded people have knocked all avenues for its reconstruction but the government has not moved to resolve the problem.
The previous provincial government punished the area by putting the project into the cold storage because the residents had not voted for the religious parties’ alliance. Without sanctioning funds, the district government headed by the MMA nazim last year asked a contractor to start work in order to hoodwink the public but the contractor soon left the area. The residents later voted en masse for the PML-Q candidates. Soon after winning the elections, MNA Shahzada Mohiuddin and MPA Ghulam Mohammad visited the area and assured the people that the project would now be taken up on a priority basis. The MPA later inaugurated work on the reconstruction of the bridge by opening a plaque at the site. But this time too the contractor stopped work after drilling a few borings because the provincial government had not sanctioned funds for the project.
The residents said they were facing untold miseries in travelling to other parts of the district. Women, children and the elderly are the worst affected, as they cannot cross the narrow, long and dangerously hanging pedestrian bridge which has become the only source of communication to the area. The bridge can become a death trap as its condition has dilapidated due to excessive use particularly by loaders shifting all types of goods. One person died while crossing the river near the destroyed bridge last year.
Taxi drivers have started looting the locals. Passengers having luggage or accompanied by children, women or sick persons in particular become their victims.
Supply of essential commodities to the valley has also been badly affected, resulting in unbridled rise in the prices. Local traders have fixed prices of essential items on their own, saying they pay extra fares to the transporters after crossing the bridge. The villagers used to supplement their income by selling fruits, vegetables and other agricultural products but now they have also been deprived of this source of livelihood due to the blockade of the area.
Even basic healthcare facilities are non-existent in the valley. A dispensary had been set up in the Dizg village by the district health department a few years back but later it was also closed down and the staff transferred out of the valley. The closure of the area has multiplied the miseries of those needing immediate medical treatment.
Students especially girls from Istach, Dizg, Khruzg and Mahting take the risk of their life by daily crossing the pedestrian bridge to attend schools in Brep. There is only one high school for boys in the over 200-km-long valley while no institution has been set up for girls to continue education after middle level.--DAWN
WINTER in most parts of Chitral brings miseries. But for the last over two years summer has become even more traumatic for the dwellers of the far-off Yarkhun valley. From April to October each year, residents in hundreds of villages dotting the valley on both sides of the river up to the Boroghil pass on the border of Afghanistan remain deprived of even free movement to and out of the area.
The only jeep-able bridge over the Yarkhun River connecting the valley of over 35,000 people with other parts of the district was washed away in August 2006. The stranded people have knocked all avenues for its reconstruction but the government has not moved to resolve the problem.
The previous provincial government punished the area by putting the project into the cold storage because the residents had not voted for the religious parties’ alliance. Without sanctioning funds, the district government headed by the MMA nazim last year asked a contractor to start work in order to hoodwink the public but the contractor soon left the area. The residents later voted en masse for the PML-Q candidates. Soon after winning the elections, MNA Shahzada Mohiuddin and MPA Ghulam Mohammad visited the area and assured the people that the project would now be taken up on a priority basis. The MPA later inaugurated work on the reconstruction of the bridge by opening a plaque at the site. But this time too the contractor stopped work after drilling a few borings because the provincial government had not sanctioned funds for the project.
The residents said they were facing untold miseries in travelling to other parts of the district. Women, children and the elderly are the worst affected, as they cannot cross the narrow, long and dangerously hanging pedestrian bridge which has become the only source of communication to the area. The bridge can become a death trap as its condition has dilapidated due to excessive use particularly by loaders shifting all types of goods. One person died while crossing the river near the destroyed bridge last year.
Taxi drivers have started looting the locals. Passengers having luggage or accompanied by children, women or sick persons in particular become their victims.
Supply of essential commodities to the valley has also been badly affected, resulting in unbridled rise in the prices. Local traders have fixed prices of essential items on their own, saying they pay extra fares to the transporters after crossing the bridge. The villagers used to supplement their income by selling fruits, vegetables and other agricultural products but now they have also been deprived of this source of livelihood due to the blockade of the area.
Even basic healthcare facilities are non-existent in the valley. A dispensary had been set up in the Dizg village by the district health department a few years back but later it was also closed down and the staff transferred out of the valley. The closure of the area has multiplied the miseries of those needing immediate medical treatment.
Students especially girls from Istach, Dizg, Khruzg and Mahting take the risk of their life by daily crossing the pedestrian bridge to attend schools in Brep. There is only one high school for boys in the over 200-km-long valley while no institution has been set up for girls to continue education after middle level.--DAWN
Friday, August 8, 2008
TMA Chitral allocates funds for Tajikistan road
Report Zahiruddin, Chitral
Tehsil Council Chitral passed its annual budget for the current financial year in its session presided over by its convener Sardar Hussain while tehsil nazim Sartaj Ahmed Khan was also present on the occasion.
The tehsil nazim told the local journalists that funds have been allocated for the construction of Chitral-Tajikistan road but did not tell its amount. In the budget, not a single penny has been allocated to keep the city clean and dispose of the garbage which is the largest civic problem, the residents complained.
They said the construction of Chitral-Tajikistan road is beyond the mandate of the municipal body and it will incur billions of rupees whose executing agency can be only the National Highway Authority.--Chitraltoday.com
Tehsil Council Chitral passed its annual budget for the current financial year in its session presided over by its convener Sardar Hussain while tehsil nazim Sartaj Ahmed Khan was also present on the occasion.
The tehsil nazim told the local journalists that funds have been allocated for the construction of Chitral-Tajikistan road but did not tell its amount. In the budget, not a single penny has been allocated to keep the city clean and dispose of the garbage which is the largest civic problem, the residents complained.
They said the construction of Chitral-Tajikistan road is beyond the mandate of the municipal body and it will incur billions of rupees whose executing agency can be only the National Highway Authority.--Chitraltoday.com
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Awesome and rugged
Beauty of Chitral
Kishmanja, a beautiful village in Yarkhun valley
Lush green
DIZG: threatened by floods
The legendary village of Ayun in Chitral
On way to Bumburet
Dizg, Yarkhun
About Me
- Zar Alam Khan Razakhel
- Village Dizg, Yarkhun valley, Chitral, Pakistan
- I blog at http://chitraltoday.net (ChitralToday) about Chitral, its people, culture, traditions and issues. I have been writing about Chitral since 2000. Chitral is a scenic valley in the extreme north-west of Pakistan.