CHITRAL: Chitral-Garam Chashma road could not be opened to traffic after it was blocked by snow avalanches and boulders at more than a dozen sites 14 days ago. People now have to walk for over eight hours from Garam Chashma to Shoghore segment of the road to catch a van for Chitral city, covering a distance of 26 kilometres, Sultan Mehmud Khan, a resident of Garam Chashma, told Dawn.

Mr Khan said that the patients referred to the DHQ hospital could not be shifted from the valley of Garam Chashma due to the road blockade while there was shortage of essential commodities there.

The residents said that despite passage of two weeks no work on rehabilitation of the road was started.

Hayat Shah, a former councillor, said that no machinery had been mobilised to the Lotkoh valley to clear the debris and open the road.