MANSEHRA: The road connecting Naran with Saiful Muluk Lake was reopened to traffic here on Wednesday after remaining closed for six months.

`Tourists can now visit the snow-capped Saiful Muluk Lake as the road linking it with Naran has been cleared by cutting glaciers and removing snow,` deputy commissioner Khalid Iqbal told reporters.

Mr Iqbal said heavy machinery was used to remove snow and glaciers, clearing the four-wheel track for visitors.

He said hundreds of thousands of visitors from across the country and abroad come here to enjoy the mesmerising beauty of the lake.

The DC said the Saiful Muluk, situated at over 10,500 feet above sea level, was among the highest mountain lakes in the world and attracted a large number of tourists each summer. He urged visitors to avoid littering around the lake and throughout Kaghan Valley.

`We have installed dustbins at various points near the lake.

Visitors should show responsibility and affection for nature by avoiding littering during their visit to Saiful Muluk and the rest of the valley,` he said.

Mr Iqbal said work on clearing the Mansehra-NaranJalkhad Road up to Babusar Top was progressing steadily.`We expect traffic between Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan to be restored within the next couple of weeks following a nearly six-month closure,` he said.

The DC anticipated a heavy influx of tourists in the coming weeks, especially around Eidul Azha.

He said families visiting Kaghan Valley should remain cautious about their safety and avoid going too close to the Kunhar River.

Following heavy snowfall in mid-November last year, Kaghan Valley was cut off, and the indigenous population migrated to lower parts of Mansehra and the rest of Hazara Division.

FREE EDUCATION, HEALTHCARE: Sixty private schools and three hospitals have agreedtoprovidefree andsubsidised education and healthcare services to the children of martyred, in-service and retired police personnel across Mansehra district.

`We aim to resolve the social and domestic issues faced by the families of martyred, serving and retired police personnel, so that is why we are signing memorandums of understanding with educational institutions and healthcare providers,` district police officer Shafiullah Khan Gandapur told a ceremony here on Wednesday.

The event was attended by principals and heads of educational institutions affiliated with the Private Education Network (PEN) as well as representatives from local hospitals.

These representatives signed MoUs with the DPO on behalfof their organisations.

Mr Gandapur said that the initiative follows special directives issued by the provincial police chief and the deputy inspector general of police, Hazara Range, to facilitate MoUs with private educational and healthcare institutions for the welfare of police families.

`All participating institutions will offer free education and medical services to children of martyred police personnel,` he said.

The DPO said children of inservice and retired police officers would receive a 40 per cent concession in monthly tuition fees and a five per cent discount on admission fees.

He said similar agreements have also been signed with pathological laboratories and other private entities in the district.