MANSEHRA: Tourists thronged the picturesque Kaghan Valley during Eid holidays from Monday to Wednesday, seeking refuge from the scorching heat wave across the country.

However, traffic jams for long hours were reported on the Mansehra-Naran-Jalkhad Road, especially on the Balakot-Naran section, as thousands of vehicles made their way to the valley.

Naran, Battakundi and Saiful Muluk Lake mostly attracted crowds of visitors but bad road conditions frustrated them.

Officials said thousands of vehicles crossed Mansehra to reach Kaghan Valley.

Junaid Ali of Lahore praised the beauty of the valley but expressed disappointment with the road conditions, which, he said, dampened his and family’s excitement.

Visitors complain of bad road condition

“I have never seen such a beauty but the bad road to Kaghan Valley and onward to Gilgit-Baltistan was a big letdown,” said the tourist, who was en route to Babusar Top with his family to see snow.

He complained about the blockade of the Mansehra-Naran-Jalkhad Road in Paras area due to construction delays.

The traffic wardens and tourist police were deployed on the MNJ Road in Kaghan Valley to clear traffic mess and guide visitors.

Landslides in parts of the valley suspended traffic. The administration cleared the roads with machines.

“Our machines, which were on a standby in landslide-prone areas, removed landslide remains from the MNJ Road,” local official Assad Shahzad said.

Meanwhile, tourists also thronged Siren and Konsh valleys on Eid days to enjoy the soothing environment and natural beauty.

DEMOLISHED: The tehsil municipal administration has demolished an illegal building in the Malikpur area here.

“A man occupied the government’s land and built a house on it. We have demolished it after fulfilling all legal formalities,” tehsil municipal administrator Mazhar Muzaffar Awan told reporters on Wednesday.

The action was taken by a joint team of TMA, district administration and police led by additional assistant commissioner Qamar Zia Malik and comprising district architect Tassawur Shah and tehsil revenue officer Saqib Mukhtar.

Mr Awan said the TMA served two notices on Salahuddin, a resident of Malikpur area, asking him to vacate the occupied land or demolish the illegal building, but he didn’t heed.

“Nobody is above the law. We will remove all land encroachments and occupation,” he said.

The TMO said the civic body was committed to providing residents with water, streetlights, and sanitation and other services and won’t spare those involved in illegal acts.

Meanwhile, the TMA has claimed to have swiftly disposed of the waste of sacrificial animals during Eid days in line with the orders of local government minister Arshad Ayub.

It added that 88 members of its sanitation squads collected animal waste from 180 sites in Mansehra city and other parts of the tehsil before disposal.

Published in Dawn, June 20th, 2024