UPPER DIR: The residents of seven union councils of Kohistan in Upper Dir district have asked the government to expedite work on construction of Chul
They said that routine of their daily life was affected badly owing to slow pace of work on the road. They added that Kumrat was a scenic valley in Dir Kohistan but it needed proper attention of the tourism, sports and culture department of the provincial government.

The picturesque valley is famous for tourist spots and beautiful lake some 90 kilometres away from Dir city. The tourists visit the area during summer to enjoy natural beauty.The residents of the area said that the beautiful valleys of K o h i s t a n lacked basic facilities like roads, schools, health centres, hotels and other infrastructure.

The previous government of PPP established Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Un i y e r s i t y (SBBU) inSheringal near Kohistan to promote education and tourism in the area but the dilapidated condition of road is major hurdle in achieving the goal.

The residents of the area said that despite the hardships thousands of people from across the country, especially Khyber Palchtunkhwa, visited Kumrat in summer and Ramazan to enjoy its pleasant weather and famous trout fish. They said that tourism would get a boost after completion of the road.

Koistan is divided into two parts -upper and lower. The Kohistan River has increased the natural beauty of the area. Till 1998, a sports festival used to be celebrated in Kumrat every year to promote tourism in the area. However, the activity couldn`t be continued owing to the negligence of the government. For last few years, Jashn-i-Kumrat festivity has been held at Dir Stadium.

Gul Bahadur, a resident of Biyar and former union council nazim Hazrat Umer said thatthe valleyhadnaturalbeauty,pollutionfree environment and green forest but the number of tourists, visiting the area, was not up to the mark owing the dilapidated condition of road.

The residents of the area said that work on the road was started four years ago to connect Chukyatan to Sheringal and promote tourism in the area. They demanded of the government to accelerate work on the new road that would reduce the distance between Dir and Sheringal. Correspondent