MANSEHRA: The National Highway Authority (NHA) on Monday built a temporary ramp over a stream in the Mahandri area of Kaghan Valley to manage one-way traffic during the installation of a steel bridge.

`This is peak tourism season, so a complete suspension of traffic for three dayscould have caused serious inconvenience to passengers and motorists. Building a temporary ramp to facilitate vehicle movement is a welcome step for the business community and tourists who have already throng to the valley,` chairman of the Naran Hoteliers Association Hussain Deen told reporters.

The NH A, with the help of heavy machinery, began replacing the small steel bridge with a 33-foot-wide structure on the Mansehra-Naran-JalkhadRoadinMahandri.

According to the district administration, the installation of the new bridge isexpected to be completed by Wednesday after which traffic will be diverted onto the newlyinstalled steel structure.

In the meantime, vehicles have been using the temporary ramp constructed with sand and mud over large culvert pipes to allow river water to flow underneath for the crossingofvehicles.

Witnesses told reporters that passenger coaches travelling between Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and GilgitBaltistan were also successfully using the temporary ramp.

They said police personnel deployed in Mahandri along the MNJ Road were managing one-waytraffic to avoid congestion and ensure safety.

The original central bridge connecting KP with GB, and Kaghan Valley with the rest of Mansehra district was swept away in flash floods last year, disrupting traffic for over two weeks.

`We appreciate the district administration for keeping traffic moving, even if at a limited pace. It`s crucial for the local economy and the thousands of tourists visiting the valley based on pre-booked travel plans, Mr Deen said.

HOUSE GUTTED: A house was destroyed after a fire spread from a nearby forest to a residential area in the Karmung locality here, officials and witnesses said on Monday.

The fire, which erupted in the dense local forest, engulfed the house of Mohammad Shahid, destroying it.

Witnesses said the family members managed to flee to a safer place and remained unharmed. However, household items, including cash, gold and other valuables, were reduced to ashes.

Residents rushed to the scene and tried to extinguish the fire by sprinkling it with water. However, their efforts were in vain, and the house was completely destroyed.

Mohammad Shahid told reporters in Battal that wildfire incidents in the nearby forests had increased significantly with theonset of the summer season.

`If we hadn`t managed to escape in time, the fire could have caused burns or suffocated my family members, putting their lives at serious risk,` he said.

Police and forest officials showed up only after the fire was extinguished.

Correspondent