DADU, May 25: Heavy rain and strong winds with no arrangement made for water and electricity, forced the organisers of the Gorakh Festival to end the much-hyped programme even before it started on Saturday.

The festival organised by Village Shadabad and ActionAid Pakistan was to be held on Saturday and Sunday but the organisers could hold only a musical programme.

Scores of writers, intellectuals and media persons braved scorching heat and a tortuous journey to reach the hill. They made a stopover in Johi for a few hours and then resumed journey to a camp at the foot of the hill.

Some of them climbed the hill on foot while others used four-by-four vehicles despite strong winds and heavy rain and many of them managed to make it to the top of the hill station, located 450 kilometres to the north of Karachi and 100 km to the west of Dadu.

The area has cold even when the plans of Sindh are sizzling hot, which makes it an attractive tourist destination in the province.

The 54-kilometere carpeted road from Wahi Pandhi to the foot of the hill had potholes and breaches at a number of places while a stretch of six km was yet to be carpeted. Work on many small bridges and culverts, which were supposed to drain out rainwater, appeared to have stopped. When the wary visitors somehow managed to reach the top they were told their ordeal had not ended yet as the water supply scheme from Hingan Spring to the hill station was still incomplete and there were no alternate arrangements for water.

Many government departments and NGOs could not set up their stalls and a large number of high-profile guests, including Sindh Minister for Tourism and Culture Sassui Palijo, senior officers of her ministry, Gorakh Hill Station Authority and district administration, failed to attend the festival.

Former speaker of Sindh Assembly Hussain Haroon was the only main guest who made it to the top of the hill but he, too, had to cut short his visit and return after a few hours due to bad weather.

Mr Haroon called the hill station the best tourism spot not only of the province but of the country and said that it could prove to be a good tourist point for Karachiites.

Nasir Panhwar, a visitor, demanded early completion of Gorakh Hill Station project and said that the officials had completed it on papers but in reality nothing had been done on ground.

The president of Village Shadabad, who was organiser of the festival, apologised to visitors for lack of facilities and renowned writer Zulifiqar Ali Siyal demanded that the federal and provincial governments should pay special attention to the tourist spot.

Renowned archaeologist Syed Hakim Ali Shah urged the prime minister to grant special funds for the hill station and order an enquiry into the alleged misappropriation of funds for its development.

The heavy rains forced more than half of the visitors to return late on Saturday while the rest rushed back home early in the morning on Sunday, leaving behind scores of others who were reportedly caught up in flash floods.

Gorakh Hill Station project was approved in August 1998 with an estimated cost of Rs45.252 million. Initially, Rs15.155 million were allocated for 32-km long road, Rs11.375 million for bridges, Rs17.409 million for water supply scheme and Rs1.313 million for setting up police posts along the road leading to the hill.

The cost was later revised upwards to Rs198.269 million.