Supreme Appellate Court directs govt depts to take immediate steps for development of Chipursan Valley
GILGIT: Chief Justice of the Supreme Appellate Court today issued directives to the GB Chief Secretary, and the department of Works, Education and Health to take immediate steps for completion and initiation of various development projects in the remote Chipursan Valley of Sub-Division Gojal, District Hunza.
The directives were issued by the court in view of multiple issues faced by the residents of the valley, which shares borders with the Wakhan region of Afghanistan.
The Secretary Works has informed the court that a project to construct a 74 kilometers road was approved in 2006/7, and tenders were called for construction of the initial 19.4km portion of the road. However, the contractor stopped the work after constructing 13.9 km. The court has been informed that around 2.5 million rupees are being recovered from a contractor who stopped work on a 5-km long patch of the Chipursan Valley road.
The Court has directed the Works Departments to hire, within two weeks, at least 38 local laborers to maintain the 74 kilometers long Chipursan road, which passes through hazard prone areas, across its length. The Court has also directed the department to ensure presence of a dedicated tractor with a blade, by April 2021, to clear small blockades on the road. The Court has also directed the Department to furnish a compliance report in this regard.
Addressing issues related to appointment of teachers, the Court directed the Chief Secretary of Gilgit-Baltistan to speed up approving PC-IV of the schools and appoint teachers ‘without further delay’. The Court also directed the Federal Education Secretary to expedite creation of teaching posts where needed to support provision of education to the locals of Gilgit-Baltistan.
With regards to the health issues of the valley, the Court was informed that work on a 10-beded hospital will be completed by the end of June 2021 and the building will be handed over to the GB Health Department.
The Court directed the Health Secretary to ensure immediate supply of medicines to the dispensaries operational in the valley. The Court also issued a notice to the Health Department to submit a compliance report by Dec 26, 2020 with regards to supply of medicines.
The court was also apprised that a 1MW power project is under construction at Zoodkhun to address the valley’s power issues. The Court ordered the Works Department to expedite work on the project and complete it on priority basis.
SCO was also directed to provide internet and cellular services to the residents of Chipursan Valley.
