National Logistics Cell (NLC) has kick-started work on one of the mostimportant road projects in the northern areas of Pakistan that would serveas an alternative to the strategic Karakoram Highway besides linking thepristine valleys in the region.
The CPEC standard road will prove to be a game-changer for the growingtourism industry of Pakistan bringing marked improvement in the livingstandards of the people of Gilgit-Baltistan.
NLC will construct 76 kilometer portion of the Gilgit-Shandur Road under achallenging environment including inaccessibility of the area, highaltitude, inhospitable weather conditions, and precipitous mountainformations.
NLC has already mobilized machinery and equipment besides the establishmentof a camp with requisite facilities of modern engineering. The work hasbeen commenced at the Shandur end of the project with an aim to facilitatetourists who thronged the area during the annual festival.
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What makes the project a daunting engineering task is the short weatherwindow to undertake construction work. The threat of rock and landslideslooms large during construction work as well as heavy snow and rainfall.Located over 12,500 feet above sea level, the weather opens up for justfour months in a year.
The road has been upgraded from a provincial to a national highway thatwill bring these remote valleys at par with other developed areas ofGilgit-Baltistan. Travel time between Gilgit and Shandur valley will bereduced from 7 hours to 4 hours only.
