[Closure of boat service] Residents of Gojal Valley demand alternate transportation system
PT Report
Sost, December 18: According to newspaper reports the GB administration is planning to impose a ban on the boat service in dammed Hunza River. The ban, reportedly, is being imposed to safeguard the lives of the commuters, as the dammed river starts freezing due to severe temperature drop in the entire region.
The ban imposed by Hunza -Nagar district administration earlier this month was not effective because the people have no other mode of travelling in and out of the valley.
“Majority of the people travel outside Gojal Valley because of health related problems”, Karim Ali, working with a local NGO told this scribe. “If health facilities are made available to the people here in the valley, there will be a marked decrease in the number of commuters”, he further suggested.
Other people gathered at a market in the border town of Sost said that health is one of the issues. “There are families living in Gilgit and other areas of Pakistan. Why shall we be forced to stay in the valley”, one of them questioned angrily, demanding better transportation facilities from the government.
“It is really easy to ban a service but very difficult to provide better and safer facilities and the ‘efficient’ officers are taking the easier way out”, another man quipped, criticizing the ban plan.
“It is not that the weather is bad everyday. The boats can be operated on and off, depending on the weather situation”, another man suggested.
While appreciating the administration’s concerns for the life and safety of the boat commuters, one must say that putting a complete ban on the boat service will literally isolate a population of above twenty thousand people from rest of the country, making them vulnerable to different risk and hazards.
The government needs to come up with a plan that includes provision of alternate means of transportation for the disaster struck communities.
How can the govt. come to rescue…don’t you see they are busy with scandals and protecting democracy….
Govt. cant do any thing as he can’t do any thing for themself what he can do for us. They are busy to protect thier thif democracy
i like the capture . china food service is still running ? the only problem is of health care .govt should arrange doctors and nurses for all those across the lake . china should do something ?
Two years passed for this shamful drama by the GB Govt. The provision of safe boats as announced by Chief Secretary, Scretary Home and then the MD Natco was just a nightmare for the affactee of Gojal. The socalled NATCO boat is lying unattended and out of order at Hussaini.Why we donot understand that the corrupt GB Govt and Hunza-Nagar Admin, FWO and Army Engineers Core has made this lake as thie permanent source of income. The Army raft which ws lounched to facilitate the local papulation of upstream is busy with transporting smuggler’s goods.Our lected and selectd members even did not crate a post of Lab Assistant at Tehsil HQ Hospitel Gulmit. The hue and cry i not more the answer of these extreme discreminations. We must come forward to play our role.