Local population left to suffer the winter vows in Gilgit-Baltistan as temperatures plummets to new lows

Local population left to suffer the winter vows in Gilgit-Baltistan as temperatures plummets to new lows

As the temperatures in the Gilgit-Baltistan province have plummeted to new lows, vows of the local population have surged to an all time high along with the apathy of the provincial government. According to the local Met office, temperatures in the local
towns of Astore, Hunza-Nagar, Skardu, Ghizer and Gilgit as well as other parts of the region have dropped to -10 Degrees Celsius and are likely to drop to -15 Degrees in the coming months of January and February.

Shortage of fuel and Day-long power outages have increased the troubles of the local populace as they have now resorted to cutting down the fruit trees for fire wood as the prices of Liquefied Petroleum Gas prices have also surged to an all time high.

What have been more troublesome for the winter-hardened people of the region is the transport problems they have been facing in the last few months, especially with the absence of proper transport services in the region. Many of the school going children,
who travel in open-end Suzuki pick-ups, are suffering from fever and cold as many have been shifted to the hospitals.

In the absence of trams, buses and rickshaws for intra-city travel, hundreds of passengers have no other choice.

“It costs Rs15 per passenger to travel from Main Bazaar Gilgit to Jutial in a Suzuki pick-up, a distance of nearly 15 kilometres” said Tajuddin, a regular passenger. “You cannot afford to hire a taxi as the minimum fare charged from Jutial is Rs150,” he
said. “Unless there is an emergency, there is no question of travelling in a taxi.”

Shaukat Khan, a driver, said the government had tried to operate intra-city buses in the past but the move was foiled by the drivers’ union. He claimed that they became jobless due to the introduction of buses. “We can’t afford to let the government intervene,”
he said. If buses are introduced, they would accommodate all the passengers depriving Suzuki drivers of their livelihood.

Hospitals and dispensaries are reportedly facing shortage of medicines due to a rising number of patients. According to a doctor, the number of patients to be hospitalized from pneumonia, cough, flu and asthma has risen, most of the affected being young
children and the elderly.

The newly promulgated G-B province is still struggling to put in a functional government with Gilgit as its capital. Schools and colleges in the region usually observe a two-month winter vacation in order to provide relief to the local school-going children.
The province is still to start off the winter vacation schedule which is likely to last till the end of February.

A senior administration official, Usman Ahmed, said the government could consider operating buses if residents make the demand. “Technically, operating buses isn’t a viable option due to the mountainous terrain.”

Short URL: https://www.newspakistan.pk/?p=7368

Posted by Naveed A Bari on Dec 26 2011. Filed under Pakistan. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry