GILGIT: Federal Minister for Communications Abdul Aleem on Sunday assured Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Minister Haji Gulbar Khan at a meeting that dilapidated condition of Karakoram Highway (KKH) and Baltistan Road will be improved to stop frequent fatal accidents on the highway and to make travel completely safe for the people using it.

He admitted difficulties being faced by the GB people owing to dilapidated road infrastructure and frequent blockades due to landslides and accidents due to bad condition of KKH and Baltistan Road.

The minister also announced construction of Motorway from Mansehra in KP to Gilgit-Baltistan and said Motorway police will be deployed on KKH to ensure safety of people.

The meeting was also attended by GB Minister for Communication and Works Amjad Ali Zaidi, Minister for Finance Muhammad Ismail, Minister for Agriculture Muhammad Anwar, Minister for Power Mushtaq Ahmed, GB government spokesman Faizullah Faraq, Director General of Frontier Works Organization (FWO) Major General Abdul Sami and Federal Secretary Communications.

The federal minister said that Gilgit-Baltistan has vast tourism potential and millions of tourists will visit the region after condition of roads and highways is improved.

Mr Aleem said there is a need to make Gilgit-Baltistan safe for future generations and to achieve this objective unplanned construction must be stopped.

He assured the GB chief minister that the federal government will provide all possible financial support to the GB government for speedy development of the area.

Later, the federal minister visited Skardu with officials concerned to inspect the dilapidated road condition himself and take steps to make travel of the people safe and secure on it.

Speaking on the occasion, the GB chief minister said that several precious human lives were lost due to frequent landslides at several places on Baltistan Road and the road remains closed most of the time due to which the people and tourists of Baltistan face great difficulties.

The chief minister informed the federal minister that the KKH is often closed at Tatta Pani in Diamer area due to which people travelling on the road had to face extreme difficulties.

The chief minister demanded the federal government to provide funds for building an alternative road and constructing bridge at the Tatta Pani area.

He said that due to frequent landslides, access of GB people with the rest of the country is blocked and there is a dire need to construct Shunter Tunnel and funds for it should be provided by the federal government as it will serve as an alternative route for the people of the area.

The chief minister also suggested making Babusar Road safe for all-weather travel.

Published in Dawn, May 6th, 2024