ISLAMABAD: Heavy landslides have occurred in the Mount Sulaiman range, due to recent rains in the border hilly areas of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Spokesperson of National Highway Authority (NHA) on Sunday told, a large part of the Balochistan-Khyber Pakhtunkhwa highway has been affected by the landslide at Dhana Sar on the National Highway (N-50) after which traffic has been suspended.
On the instructions of Federal Minister for Communication Maulana Asad Mehmood, the field staff and machinery of NHA have been mobilized to remove the landslide debris from the road.
Meanwhile, Secretary Communications and Chairman NHA Captain (R) Muhammad Khurram Agha were in constant contact with NHA field officers in Balochistan-Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Member Balochistan Shahid Ehsanullah was himself supervising the restoration work and has expressed hope for complete opening of traffic soon.
At present, the NHA staff and machinery were active to remove landslide debris from the road while more heavy machinery has been called from Zhob and Quetta.
However, the NHA has opened road for light traffic while the affected road would be completely restored for all types of traffic within 24 to 30 hrs.
Agha Inayatullah, General Manager Balochistan-North, has requested the Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner to stop the traffic in Zhob and Saifullah,
However, passengers coming from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa can use the alternative route (N-70) Loralai-DG Khan Highway.
The NHA has appealed the passengers heading in the affected direction to be aware of the weather conditions before traveling.
The NHA is always ready to deal with all kinds of emergencies and is committed to provide the best road services to the nation.
As per sources, instead of removing the obstruction, the Galyat Development Authority (GDA) and the Communication and Works Department started blaming each other, causing inconvenience to the people during the holy month of Ramadan.
According to details, the D.I.Khan-Zhob highway has been closed at Dhana Sar point in Zhob due to heavy landslides triggered by recent torrential rains.
According to details, the highway connecting Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan has been closed for the next 24 hours due to heavy landslides.
The movement of thousands of people and goods transportation from one province to another has been stopped.
The heavy machinery has reached the site to clear the road and it is expected that it would take around 20 hours to clear the highway for traffic.
The transporters and the affected people demanded of the authorities concerned to make a permanent solution to the issue as the landslides have become a routine matter at this specific place.
