Reflections on an incomplete Lowari Tunnel -- Shahzadi Sofia Baig When I last crossed the Lowari Pass over six years ago, I had hoped that it would be my last such trip over the dangerous winding track and hairpin bends chronicled in great detail by young travellers with wanderlust. An imposing height of over 3100 meters with my father effortlessly navigating the familiar route so well imprinted in his mind from childhood that he would share a familiar story at several of the Pass’ many bends, the drive over the Lowari is part of family lore. Shifting roads, loose gravel, falling rocks, flurries of rain, mud and snow came with the journey. As we all knew, the same trek could be delayed at a moment’s notice given the mercurial weather at all times of the year. Turning back at the Chitral side or lodging in Dir while waiting for the weather to clear were routine occurrences. The Lowari Tunnel was slated for opening by the year’s end but many in my family expressed their well-founded doubt. Then as now, there were issues of finances as well as a great number of technical concerns. I wrote in Chitralnews to question the practicality of a proposed Swedish electric train which was to ply the 8.2 km length of the tunnel given the poor maintenance of electrical devices at our own DHQ Hospitals. I wondered about proposed ventilation shafts meant to serve vehicular traffic with a view to air quality within the tunnel and urged that locals take up inconsistencies in reports with the National Highway Authority. Since that time a dictatorship and one elected government has come and gone, all with little foreseeable prospect of the tunnel’s final completion. I remain convinced that this day will come despite the tunnel having undergone several modifications from its original vision. In the end we may be left with a Lowari Tunnel which is every bit as Chitrali in its operation as the pace of life in the district: impromptu and improvised if fatalistic. Like many I muse about how an all-weather route that effectively ends Chitral’s physical isolation for a good part of the year will impact its economic, cultural and political future. I too have my misgivings and fears but such change is inevitable; cell phones, the internet, media and now the Lowari will exert its pressure on a largely isolated region of Pakistan. I believe that Chitrali society needs to take a broader view of how local life will be impacted by greater interaction with the outside world and whether it is prepared to meet the challenge. I do worry that Chitralis lose sight of this vision in our zeal to play the role of victims. Being proactive in working for the Tunnel’s final completion but ensuring that locals remain protected in a new post Lowari Tunnel landscape should be imperatives that require attention now. While there is justifiable indignation at the undue time taken to complete the Lowari Tunnel, little mention is made of a collective responsibility to see that work is done. At many levels, Chitral has representation on the national stage including the large number of Chitralis living in the nation’s major cities. One may fault those living in the district for not bringing pressure to bear on functionaries in Islamabad but the same CAN be said for students and residents living in cities down country. At the same time, many in the district continue to see national development solely through a local prism. Ironically, it is only by advancing a holistic vision for the country and supporting projects of national importance that Chitral has the best chance of being heard. Hence the Takht Bhai Flyover deserves our support as much as the proposed Sind Motorway. In the last national elections, fixation on the Lowari Tunnel and supporting a previous benefactor blinded voters to greater issues such as the nation’s economic development and stability as a new wind of change swept both KPK and the country. As an unapologetic supporter of democracy, I see the nation’s salvation ultimately coming from effective institutions, a vibrant civil society but most importantly from a stable system of governance rooted in the constitution and laws of the land. Such goals are only possible in a social democratic state and may well take several political cycles to mature. It remains too early to judge the merits and direction of the current political leadership. Although any elected government should serve the interests of all citizens, in practice it will try to first make good on promises to those who gave it the mandate to govern. As part of its election platform, the current federal leadership pledged to bring a Metro Bus Service to several major Pakistani cities including the Capital region. A comparison of the incomplete Lowari Tunnel project and the Metro Bus Service being launched in Rawalpindi – Islamabad would be ill advised and parochial. Affordable and efficient mass public transit has become a necessity in developing countries throughout the world particularly for middle and working class residents. Pakistani cities are no exception. During a trip to Istanbul last year, I witnessed the obvious benefits derived from such an urban transport policy as part of that city’s economic revival. Borrowing from the example of Bogota, Istanbul introduced its low cost urban transport scheme as a means of reducing traffic gridlock by getting vehicles off congested roads, reducing pollution and improving commuting times. Keeping in mind that one quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions come from the transport sector, I was not surprised to hear residents in Lahore comment that air quality in their city had improved since the introduction of its own Metro Bus Service. While the people of Chitral clearly deserve to see the ultimate completion of the Lowari Tunnel, improving public transport in cities down country is also a priority and there is no need for these projects to be mutually exclusive. An earlier strategic vision had Chitral figured prominently as a cohesive element of an infrastructure initiative linking Pakistan with Central Asia. As it stands, the current government appears fixated on the Pak China Economic Corridor with greater benefit to Gilgit Baltistan because newly proposed road and rail links would service the Kashgar to Gwader route via the Khunjerab Pass. In delaying the Lowari Tunnel’s completion one can argue that Islamabad is showing callous indifference at best. Chitral is arguably better situated to access many of the Central Asian states through the narrow Wakhan Strip. This reality must be championed more vocally. Due to recurring delays, the Tunnel project has mushroomed in expense and we have no clear idea of overall costs and penalties incurred by previous political administrations or during the last year of the current administration. The National Highway Authority’s official web site makes note of an expected completion date of October 2017 for the Lowari Tunnel in its progress reports but provides little credible insight. For example its chart entry contends that progress is at forty per cent completion. I would welcome a more detailed report including ongoing challenges for the project and the role of locals. There are troubling reports of wasted time at the tunnel site repeatedly moving heavy machinery. This involves the laborious task of setting up heavy machinery inside the tunnel by the contracting company and then removing the same machinery to facilitate periodic access by locals. Undoubtedly this process is also interfering with the tunnel’s final completion. How best to allow workers access to the tunnel in an uninterrupted fashion while still allowing some form of essential travel is a discussion for all stakeholders in Chitral. Although the tunnel effectively cuts travel time by one half, perhaps the milder summer weather may occasion longer periods of uninterrupted work with tunnel closure. At the least this should hasten the repair of pot holes and control the dangers of flying debris before winter. A modest monetary contribution on the part of travellers using the Lowari may not put any great dent in project finances but it sends a signal showing concerned authorities how serious the Tunnel project remains to the daily lives of Chitralis. We may continue to have stories to share of our trek over the Lowari Pass or the incomplete tunnel for some time to come but there is nothing to stop citizens from playing a more active role. In this vein I ask readers, contributors and especially students to write to the Chairman of the National Highway Authority to highlight the urgent need for the timely completion of the Lowari Tunnel. The address is reproduced below for convenience. Mr. Shahid Ashraf Tarar; Chairman, National Highway Authority NHA HQ 27, Mauve Area, G-9/1 Islamabad
Posted on: Mon, 31 Mar 2014 06:10:26 +0000
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