CHITRAL, Jan 1 The Afghan government has allowed the people of Chitral to use the Kunar route to reach Peshawar after closure of Lowari Top due to snowfall.

District Nazim Maghfirat Shah, during a press conference here on Thursday, said that thousands of people had been stranded both in Chitral and Peshawar due to delay in getting the approval. He appreciated the efforts of the foreign office, particularly the minister of state, for evincing keen interest in the matter and taking it up with the Afghan government in earnestness.

He said that the journey of the passengers to and from Peshawar would be started soon after the end of the ongoing operation in Khyber Agency against the militants.

The nazim said that initially transportation of oil, natural gas, wheat flour and rice had been banned through the Afghan route to Chitral but the ban would be lifted later. He said that the district government would be empowered soon to issue permits to traders to import commodities via Afghanistan.

He said that a timeframe would be fixed for the passengers to travel through Afghanistan and the Afghan forces would provide them full security. He demanded increase in the PIA flights to Chitral and 50 per cent reduction in the fares during the closure period of the Lowari Top. He also demanded introduction of C-130 flights to Chitral to lift maximum number of passengers.

POWER SUPPLY The Sarhad Rural Support Programme (SRSP) has chalked out a comprehensive plan to provide electricity to remote areas of the district by constructing small hydel power stations.

Talking to this scribe here on Thursday, Regional Programme Coordinator SRSP Saleem Shah said that most of the remote villages in Chitral were without electricity despite presence of waterfalls, which could be utilised to generate electricity.

Therefore, he said, power generation was included in the programme of the organisation last year. The feasibility study of power generation in many areas of the district was carried out last year and funds were allocated for construction of power houses and during one year, three small power houses had been completed in Golen, Arkari and Jughore.

Mr Shah said the power houses would be commissioned to work shortly after inauguration. The power houses were completed by the respective communities using participatory approach and the running of the power houses would also be entrusted to them. He said the villagers would pay nominal charges on monthly basis and the amount would be consumed for operation and maintenance of power stations by the local committees.

He said that work on more power houses were in progress while many more were being planned. Provision of electric power at cheaper rate would reduce risk of depletion of forests by providing alternate source of fuel.