Daily Times

UPPER DIR: A shopkeeper was killed when an avalanche hit his shop in the Maloo Khwa, an area of remote Doog dara, while 11 others were injured in different incidents in Upper Dir district on Monday.

Abdullah Jan resident of Maloo Khwar killed on the spot when an avalanche hit his shop the other evening. Meanwhile 11 people were sustained injuries in two different incidents took place in Dir and Sheringal.

In Dir a passenger coach and non-custom paid car collided with each other when flying coach was over taking and hit the car which was parked on road side, eye witnesses said. In a result six people were injured in the incident.

The injured were taken to the district headquarters hospital in Dir. The other incident took place in Shaheed, Sheringal, when a vehicle fell into a ravine. Five people were injured in the incident whose were rushed to the Rural health center in Sheringal. An avalanche also hit in Hido, area of Brawal tehsil, and blocked the main Brawal- Shahi road to traffic however no casualty was reported in the incident.

A three-day spell of snowfall and rains ended and weather became clear in the district on Monday. Suspended routine life activities resumed in Dir and other plain areas of the Upper Dir district.

People were seen busy in different bazars and markets in Dir, Wari, Darora, Bibyawar and other towns of the district. However, the mountainous areas people were still facing difficulties due to heavy snowfall in their areas.

Many link roads in remote Kohistan valley, Gwaldi, Doog dara, Ganshal, Guryal, Usheri dara, areas of the tehsil Brawal and others still remained closed to traffic despite clearing weather. And electricity in those areas could not be restored due to which difficulties of the inhabitants multiplied.

The weather remained extremely chilly in spite of sunny day on Monday and the mercury went down into minus. According to Met office of the Upper Dir temperature was recorded -4.

Helpline: The Federally Administrated Tribal Areas (FATA) Disaster Management Authority (FDMA) has established a helpline desk to resolve the problems of South Waziristan returning Internally Displaced Peoples (IDPs).

The helpline desk will facilitate in making transaction and will sort out errors in the given ATM cards given to the people of FATA for reconstruction and transportation purposes to go home back. The FDMA agency coordinator Said Umar briefed the media and said that the Rs 35000 was being given to each repatriating family as compensation which include Rs 10,000 transportation cost and Rs 25,000 allowance to meet their basic necessities.

He said that FDMA has established a helpline desk in Zam Public School in Tank to address the problems of IDPs in drawing the compensation amount from banks through ATM cards.