CHITRAL
In order to provide clean drinking water to fifty thousand people of Chitral town, potable water was brought from a natural spring through a pipeline from Golain at a cost of 440 Million rupees twelve years ago. At that time the road was only twelve feet wide, this pipeline was carried to Chitral town on the side of mountain because at that time it was safe one, but now this road has been handed over to the National Highway Authority who widen it to 34 feet as a result the pipe came in the middle of road and now they start its blacktopping on it. According to local experts, if the contractor mettled the road and puts coal tar on it before shifting the pipe to a safe place, then in case of leaking water from the pipe, it will be cause a lot of damage to the blacktopped road. Even if the pipeline is to be repaired, the road PHE staff have to broke the road and the contractor will claim for payment from the public health engineering department officials.
Safeerullah belongs to Golain valley but now he settled at Chitral town due to thread of flood. He said that half of population of Chitral town using this water for drinking purposes in case the pipe damaged during construction of road these people will be deprived from drinking water. He suggested that first the pipe should be shifted to safe side then construction of road should be stared. And NHA contractor can work at this road where 50 KM road is empty without any pipeline in the middle of road.
Social and political personality Sharif Hussain Chairman says that twelve years ago, the provincial government had given 440 M rupees for this pipeline, which provides clean drinking water to fifty thousand people of Chitral town. He said that the work of the NHA contractor is still delayed for two years and the 75 km road from Chitral to Booni is under construction which responsibility of the contractor. He said that the contractor is now pouring concrete on the road at Ragh where the pipeline has passed in the middle of road , although there is still 50 km of road ahead of it, he can work there as well and anyway by taking out the pipeline. 290 Million fund have been approved for shifting of pipe to a safe place and the tender has also been offered. Sharif Hussain said that we have raised objections on the work of this contractor many times, but it seems that he has very long hands and no body can ask from him. He further said that now he tries to blackmail the Public Health Engineering Department by blacktopping the road before taking out his pipeline from the middle of the road, he started the concrete work at the same place where pipe came in the middle of road. If the public health demolish the road for carrying out of their piple the contractor will demand for compensation from them
Ejaz Ahmed, also is a an elected councillor, he says that clean and cold water is carried from a natural spring in Golain to Chitral town and Jaghur Bakarabad. Due to the wideness of the road, that pipeline came in the middle of the road. This road was earlier twelve feet blacktopped , now it will be 24 feet blacktop with 10 feet shoulders i.e. footpath. First of all, this pipe should be removed from the middle of the road to a safe place and then the work should be started on the road surface. He said that the road from Goleen towards Booni has been widened and the cutting of the mountain is also complete. The contractor should first start the work from Booni side, until then the pipeline will be taken out from the middle of the road to safe side in 3 months.
Fakhr Azam, who is also the chairman of a village council, says that almost half of the population of Chitral Town is getting clean drinking water from the Golaom goal Water Supply Scheme. When the pipeline was brought from Golain , the road was narrow and because of its shortness, it was passed through the foot of the mountain. They were demolished by blasting in the mountains to widen the road as a result of which the pipeline is now in the middle of the road. He suggested that Golain Pipeline which is 22 km long and Boni road is 75 km, except for this 22 km section, the contractor can work beyond thatportion and when the pipeline is removed from the middle of road within three months then the road should be constructed otherwise fifty thousand people will be deprived of clean drinking water.
In this regard, the office of the Public Health Engineering Department was also contacted, whose spokesman said that when the pipeline was being brought from Golainn, the road was only 12 feet mettle and it was brought through a safe place, i.e. at the outskirt of the mountain, now the road is wide. The pipe came in the middle of it. We have offered properly tender for its shifting and 290 million have been sanctioned for this purpose and we will try to remove it from the middle of the road within three months and carry to a safe place. After that in case of leaking of water from the pipe, it will not cause damage the blacktopped road and in case of any fault in the pipe if we need to repair it, we will not have to break the road again.
