ISLAMABAD:The decades-old construction of Lowari Tunnel, crucial for the people of Chitral and Dir during winter when the region receives heavy snow, remains a pipe dream.

The tunnel`s idea was originally conceived in 1956, and work was briefly started in 1975-76.Then Gen Musharraf revived the project in 2005, but paucity of funds hampered its construction.

The situation is not much different today.

On Wednesday, parliamentary secretary for communication, Alam Dad Laleka, informed the National Assembly that the commissioning date of the project was 2017 provided every year the government released Rs4 billion for it.

To a flurry of questions, Mr Laleka only responded that he would convey the concerns to the relevant quarters and confirm anything once the project was initiated.

Furthermore, he said the govemment had only earmarked Rs1 billion for the project in fiscal year 2013-2014 against the Rs4 billion required, which suggested that construction would go beyond 2017.