UPPER DIR: Passengers and transporters faced hardships as Dir-Kohistan Road remained closed to traffic for more than 10 hours due to landslide at Dodba bypass.

Dozens of passenger vehicles remained stranded owing to closure of the road.

A big boulder fell on the road near Dodba bypass in the night that blocked the main Dir-Kohistan Road to traffic. Owing to closure of the road, dozens of passenger remained stranded on both sides of the blocked point.

The district has received heavy snowfall and rains recently due to which incidents of landslide occur at various places including Dir City, Dodba, Daramdala and Doon etc.

The road remained closed to traffic due to which passengers as well as students, teachers and employees of Shaheed Benezir Bhutto University Sheringal faced difficulties in reaching their destinations.

The residents of various areas of Kohistan valley including Thal, Kalkot, Biyar, Patrak and Sheringal also faced miseries as passengers owing to closure of the road. The passengers including children, women and elderly waited for hours for reopening of the road.

The local people considered the main Dir-Sheringal new road dangerous due to incidents of landslide.

They expressed their concerns over frequent incidents of landslide in the area, especially on main Dir-Kohistan Road. Deputy Commissioner Irfanullah Mehsud directed the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Highway Authority to remove the boulder from the road and clear it so that vehicular traffic could be resumed.

On the directions of the deputy commissioner, the engineers and workers of KPHA cleared the road.

The residents of the area said that such incidents were dangerous and posed threats to precious lives.

They demanded of the district administration to identify such spots where dangerous of landslide persisted. They also demanded of KPHA to take precautionary steps and remove the boulders before causing damage.

Published in Dawn, March 15th, 2019