“Residents were deprived of crucial socio-economic opportunities because of adverse conditions and limited mobility. The bridge has been constructed in partnership with the Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF) and the Sarhad Rural Support Programme (SRSP) under the Programme for Poverty Reduction (PPR) by an Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) Pakistan,” reads a release by the agency.

More than 450 households of the three villages will directly benefit from the bridge.

Emanuela Benini, Director AICS Pakistan, was pleased that the infrastructure has been given the name ‘Pak-Italy Friendship Bridge’.

She said, “The AICS aspires to lay the stone for a strong developmental network in Pakistan and this bridge is the first step towards it. The bridge will enable the local community to have better access to health and educational facilities just like other communities in the district.”

Connectivity projects in the region would enable easy health and education access to people of Chitral.