PESHAWAR
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Excise and Narcotics Control Haji Manzoor Khan Afridi was approached by the elders of the tourist places Bahrain and Kalam and other adjacent localities of Swat district.
The elders apprised Haji Manzoor Afridi of the dire situation in wake of flooding in the Swat River due to the melting of snow in the hot summer that caused damages to the Bahrain Bazaar and other parts of the Kalam to Madyan highway.
The Minister Excise immediately contacted Federal Minister for Communication Maulana Asaad Mahmood, who directed the National Highway Authority (NHA), to open the highway and speed up relief operations in the affected areas.
Both the federal and provincial ministers issued instructions to the monitoring room of the communication department from Peshawar and online reviewed the ongoing road clearance and relief operations in Swat district from Peshawar.
It may be noted that the Bahrain road was submerged in water again due to the flood on Friday and the flood water went towards the Bahrain bazaar, however, the elders of the area requested assistance from the local administration besides Haji Manzoor Afridi.
On such requests, Manzoor Afridi came immediately to the rescue of the people of Bahrain and Kalam and other areas of the Swat district. Manzoor Afridi immediately contacted the federal and provincial communications ministers and requested them to speed up the relief operation.
Meanwhile, NHA and FWO were directed to take emergency measures for the road clearance and rehabilitation works. The federal minister revealed that he is aware of the situation and both the NHA and FWO have been issued highway rehabilitation and other necessary relief instructions.
On his instructions, heavy machinery reached the spot while the relief work was tripled through three different contractors who worked on emergency basis and opened the affected section of Bahrain Road for light traffic till Sunday afternoon while the highway will be opened for heavy vehicular traffic very soon.
Similarly, due to the timely measures, not only the shopkeepers and business community of Bahrain Bazaar were saved from major losses, but the adjacent Daral Khwar power house was also saved from destruction again.
