Swat Valley’s Bahrain-Kalam Road is Now Open for Traffic

Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif has announced that the Bahrain-Kalam road in Swat has been restored and reopened for traffic.

He stated this on Twitter and mentioned that the route has been reopened as per his promise to flood-affected people, including stranded domestic and foreign tourists, during his visit to Kalam.

The premier also lauded the efforts of the Frontier Works Organization (FWO), the National Highway Authority (NHA), and the 11 Corps officials for expediting the reconstruction of the road despite challenging conditions.

میرے دورہء کالام کے دوران سیلاب متاثرین اور کالام میں پھنسے مقامی و بین الاقوامی سیاحوں سے وعدے کے مطابق آج بحرین تا کالام سڑک کو بحال کرکے ٹریفک کیلئے کھول دیا گیا ہے. مشکل حالات کے باوجود راستے کی ترجیحی بنیادوں پر بحالی پر FWO, NHA اور 11 کور کے اہلکار لائقِ تحسین ہیں.

— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) September 9, 2022

In other news, the National Assembly’s (NA) Standing Committee on Communications asked the NHA yesterday to stop toll tax collection on routes that have been affected by the recent floods.

In a meeting chaired by MNA Abdul Ghafoor Wattoo, the members of the committee expressed that they were not in favor of toll tax collections on the highways that were affected by the disastrous rains and floods so that relief may be provided to flood victims.

Officials from the NHA stated that both Sindh and Balochistan have been hit badly by continuous floods and added that the floodwaters have submerged a large portion of the Indus Highway in Sindh. They also informed the committee that they would consider the committee’s proposal for temporary toll-free transit in flood-affected districts.

Note: Featured image is only for illustration purposes.