MANSEHRA: Link roads in the upper parts of the Hazara division continued to be blocked on Friday as the snowfall and rainfall continued for the fourth consecutive day.

Snowfall, which began earlier this week, continued intermittently throughout the day in the mountainous areas, causing temperatures to drop further.

The tourist resorts of Shogran and Kaghan, Siren and Konsh valleys in Mansehra, as well as Spat valley in Kohistan, received heavy snowfall.

The residents said this is the longest spell of snowfall recorded in the region during the ongoing winter season.

Due to continuous snowfall and landslides, link roads connecting dozens of villages to the Mansehra-NaranJalkhad Road and Karakoram Highway in mountainous parts of the district remained blocked.

`Police teams are deployed at the tourist resorts of Shogran and Kaghan Valley and motorists and tourists are not allowed to proceed into snowbound areas,` district police officer Shafiullah Khan Gandapur said.

He added that police personnel were only permitting vehicles with four-wheel drive to proceed, after ensuring they met the safety protocols set by the department for travelling in snowy and hilly terrain.

Meanwhile, the district administration of Upper Kohistan said the Karakoram Highway was open to traffic.

`No landslides or any other untoward incidents have been reported in our district, so traffic flow on KKH is smooth,` duty commissioner of Upper Kohistan Tariq Ali Khan said in a news release.

The region also witnessed heavy rainfall, which continued for the fourth consecutive day on Friday, lashing various parts of the Hazara division sporadically.

Mansehra, Torghar, Upper Kohistan, Lower Kohistan, and Kolai-Palas districts recorded heavy downpour throughout the day.

FREE EDUCATION: Private educational institutions on Friday announced that they would offer free education to the children of martyred police personnel.

`The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police have a proud legacy of making great sacrifices in the line of duty. In recognition of their service, private educational institutions have decided to offer free education to their children,` DPO Shafiullah Khan Gandapur told a ceremony attended by the heads and principals of private schools and colleges.

The heads of private educational institutions from across the district and Mr Gandapur signed a memorandum of understanding in this regard.

`While the police department acknowledges sacrifices of martyred personnel, it is encouraging to see private educational institutions and other entities also stepping forward with welfare initiatives for their children,` Mr Gandapur said.

He added that educational institutions would provide free education to the children of martyrs, while the offspring of in-service and retired police personnel would receive a 50 per cent discount on admission fees and a 25 per cent reduction in monthly tuition fees.

`We are also signing MoUs with other departments and associations to introduce additional relief packages for the children of martyred,serving and retired police personnel,` Mr Gandapur said.