ISLAMABAD: As the Gilgit-Skardu road remains blocked in various parts for continuous landsliding following the earthquake and subsequent aftershocks, fuel and commodity crisis has started in Skardu and three other districts of Baltistan.
Following the week-long closure of the only connecting road between Baltistan region with the rest of the country, over 300 tourists are stranded in the area, who also face difficulties in movement for the fuel shortages, sources in district administration informed.
Apart from the sufferings in Baltistan region, hundreds of commuters are also stranded in Gilgit, most of them visiting from down country, could not proceed to Skardu for closure of the road for six consecutive days.
On Sunday the stranded passengers staged a protest demonstration outside the Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly building in Gilgit against the authorities’ failure to clear the Jaglot-Skardu Road. The strategically important route was completely blocked from last Wednesday after landslides triggered by an earthquake.
The frequent earthquake and aftershocks has made this road uncertain and risky for commuters despite the fact that Frontier Works Organization (FWO) has recently completed the widening of the road (167 km)Â with the investment of over RS 34 billion.
On Monday, officials at administration in Skardu claimed that it is making arrangements of airlifting the stranded people, initially those who have reported to the administration.
Through a notice issued early on Monday, the administration has asked the listed group of stranded people to reach Skardu Airport soon to get airlifted.
Meanwhile, the commuters and tourists claim that the FWO was not taking visibly immediate and serious steps to clear the route which may fear to take another four to five days to clear the route.
The road is a lifeline for Baltistan residents as they depend on it to access other parts of the country. The protesters said the government was not serious about clearing the road.
The stranded people have also demanded the GB government to airlift them through a C-130 aircraft. According to Fida Hussain, a stranded passenger, a dead body of his relative remained stranded in the Rondu area for two days and finally reached Skardu on the third day by carrying on shoulders from damaged areas.
According to senior minister GB Raja Zakaria Khan Maqpoon, the government is taking all possible steps to provide all facilities to those stranded by the road blockade. The regional government, he claims, is trying to find a solution to the issue.
On the other hand the woes of tourists and locals have also been added by the cancellation of PIA flights to the area. Due to bad weather conditions, PIA flights between Islamabad, Karachi and Skardu were suspended for the second day in a row.
