The people visiting Kaghan for the first time are captivated by natural beauty and serene environment of the valley but the dilapidated road leading there leaves a bad taste in mouth.

“I have never seen such a place. Kaghan valley is so beautiful so tranquil. However, the Mansehra-Naran-Jalkhad Road and other roads leading to tourist attractions in the area like Saiful Muluk Lake are really in bad shape and thus, turning out to be a real bother, especially for the first-time visitors,” said Ayesha, a tourist from Lahore, in Naran, the commercial capital of Kaghan valley.

The visitor told Dawn the picturesque valley had seen the mushrooming of hotels over the years damaging natural beauty and environment but the government acted indifferently.

“Neither the federal nor the provincial government is playing the due role for nature’s conservation in Kaghan, which is attracting crowds of tourists,” she said.

Other visitors also complained about the dilapidated condition of the MNJ Road and those leading to Saiful Muluk, Shogran and other tourist places.

They questioned the performance of the National Highway Authority tasked with maintaining the MNJ Road and removing boulders and mudslides from there, insisting the bid to make the road an all-weather artery is little unplanned, especially the presence of eight massive glaciers by it.

Alongside “I think the NHA isn’t sincere about making the MNJ Road an all-weather road. I was really frustrated when I saw it reopen the road following the falling of boulders down the mountains. We remained stuck on the road all through the night,” said tourist Adnan Ali.

He said the government seemed little interested in promoting tourism in Kaghan valley as it had yet to protect the MNJ Road leading to it against the frequent landslides in Safade Khatta and two other places from Balakot to Naran.

The tourist also complained about the construction of a large number of hotels in Naran over the years.

“There is no check on the large-scale construction of hotels in the valley. The people have been building hotels without taking prior permission and thus, causing a big hazard to environment,” he said.

Mr. Ali regretted the last ANP-led government in the province had announced the installation of a chairlift from Naran to Saiful Muluk Lake but the project had yet to be executed.

He insisted the incidence of road accidents in Kaghan valley was on the rise due to the dilapidated condition of the MNJ Road as most tourists weren’t properly trained in the mountainous area, especially on the roads in bad shape.

The tourist said the Naran-Saiful Muluk Road was very risky to travel on and that it often remains blocked but the provincial government wasn’t interested in repairing, blacktopping or widening it.

“If the chairlift is installed from Naran to Saiful Muluk Lake, not only the area will see a huge influx of tourists but the traffic problem will be resolved as well,” he said.

The Balakot administration, which has the administrative control of Kaghan valley, blamed the misery of the tourists bound for Kaghan valley on the NHA’s inefficiency.

Balakot assistant commissioner Roman Barhana criticised the NHA for not building alternative portions of the MNJ Road at places frequently hit by landslides.

“The tehsil administration reaches out to tourists whenever this major artery is hit by landslides or it is inundated but the NHA goes into hiding in such emergencies,” he said.

Mr. Barhana said the administration had planned to preserve Kaghan’s natural beauty but that plan’s successful execution wouldn’t be that easy without the support of the provincial government.

He insisted a major crackdown was underway on timber smuggling to protect forests, a major reason for the valley to be pollution-free.

Mansehra deputy commissioner Iqbal Hussain, too, complained about the NHA’s inefficiency.

He said the district administration was focusing its attention on the resolution of the issues facing tourists on the MNJ Road but the things to be done by the NHA awaited action.

“I recently wrote a letter to the relevant provincial government department highlighting the poor performance of the NHA in the valley for corrective measures,” he told Dawn.

Mr. Hussain said the administration was doing its best to ensure the tourists’ security in the valley and facilitate their visit.

“We’re spending all possible resources to maintain smooth flow of traffic on the MNJ Road but the frequent landslides on it have turned out to be a major hurdle to it,” he said.

Naran Hoteliers Association Saith Matiullah said the valley had received a record number of tourists during the last Eidul Fitr and had there not been landslides, the number would have been even bigger.

“We removed landslides on our own to the relief of tourists though it was the job of the relevant government agencies. The government should build alternative portions of the road at the points frequently hit by landslides,” he said.

The traffic police insist they’re doing their best to ensure smooth flow of vehicular traffic in the valley.

Jamal Zab, the chief of the traffic police, told Dawn that for the first time, 100 traffic wardens were deployed on the MNJ Road lately to facilitate tourists but the landslides caused a traffic mess.

He said diversion of the traffic from the landslide-prone places on the MNJ Road to secure places could help tourists enjoy the trip to the most.

Published in Dawn, August 21st, 2016