Our Correspondent
Abbottabad
A remarkable discovery was made while digging a pit for a plantation in Ayubia National Park in Galyat when a 100-year-old British-era tunnel was found from a trash mound. The historic ’Moto Tunnel’ built in 1891 was buried in a garbage dump and now its been restored to its original glory by the Ministry of Climate Change.
The historic tunnel that would now attract more tourists, hikers and history lovers was inaugurated by Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Climate Change, Malik Amin Aslam.
The restoration would now reduce the travel distance for the pedestrians living in the mountainous region. The meticulous work of illuminating the tunnel has been done carefully by keeping in view of the heritage and original beauty intact.
Various facilities including paved track to the tunnel, information center, guide, resting areas and coffee shop have also been set up for tourists. The historical and archeological tourist site was located in the picturesque and biodiversity-rich Ayubia National Park- spreaded over 3,312 hectares in the Galyat region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province and home to 256 species of birds, 33 species of mammals and 104 kinds of plants.
A century ago the 250-feet long tunnel was connected with two valleys in Ayubia and Murree. The Ministry of Climate Change and KP’s wildlife department jointly renovated and restored the tunnel to its original glory the ‘Moto Tunnel’ as a cultural and heritage icon.
