PoGB locals say bad roads and infrastructure stripping them of income

Locals in Shigar district, Askole village in Pakistan Occupied Gilgit Baltistan (PoGB) depend on tourism-related income for their livelihoods, but the poor condition of roads and poor infrastructural facilities make it difficult for them to sustain, Pamir Times, a local news outlet from PoGB reported on Tuesday.

Locals blame the apathy of the PoGB administration towards the terrible condition of roads and poor infrastructural facilities for tourists.

Locals say that the awry conditions of infrastructural facilities persist despite the area earning a substantial income from occupations like adventure sports every year.

The Askole region of Shigar village is situated on the foothills of several tourist destinations of PoGB, like K2, Broad Peak, the Gasherbrums, Muztagh Towers, Uli Biaho Tower, Paiyu Peak, Baintha Brakk, Latok Peaks, Baltoro Glacier, Biafo Glacier, and Chogolisa Glacier.

The village stands as the last destination of trekkers and mountain climbers. But now, the condition of roads and other facilities is making the journey to the village more difficult and accident-prone, the Pamir Times report claimed.

Drivers owning private vehicles are now the only source of income, as these locals often accompany the trekkers and mountain climbers but poor road conditions are decreasing the tourist flow.

A jeep driver from the Skardu district said, “We are often forced to return empty-handed when we come to this village. Reaching here is very dangerous. We cannot even meet the maintenance and fuel costs if we come here. Thus, this is a catch-22 situation for us as on one side the government is not ready to help and the danger we face on our way here.”

He highlighted that the locals are sometimes forced to repair the roads and bridges by themselves. They may be able to do some temporary patchwork but ultimately cannot replace the work of a professional.

“And most of the time even our costs are not recovered”, the driver said.

“We have seen so many accidents ourselves and still the situation does not improve at all”, he said.