CHITRAL: Former Chitral district nazim Haji Maghfirat Shah has said that large-scale blasting of rocks and mountains to widen the Chitral-Shandur Road had threatened the lives of artery users.

He told reporters here that the uncontrolled rock blasting had rendered hillocks highly ramshackle from where boulders rolled down posing a serious threat to the lives of people travelling on the road.

The former nazim said the major road, which passed through hills between Chitral town and Shandur Pass, was vulnerable to the falling of rocks due to their steep position and that, too, at considerable height, so authorities needed to step in to make travel on the road safe.

He said the agency executing the project went for the rock cutting method that existed in the early 20th century making hill sites on the road a `death tr ap` for travellers.

Mr Shah said every year, tens of people were killed by falling rocks in Nerdet, Kuju, Mroi Lunji, Dragh Losh, Shachar, Kalak, Aukhar Zom and Shaidas areas but authorities didn`t take measures to prevent such incidents.

He said during rock cutting, the debris was thrown into the River Chitral `abnormally` increasing water level that led to the inundation of low-lying villages in the summer season.