Tourists make a beeline for Murree

Holidaymakers throng popular hill station to enjoy first snowfall of winter

MURREE:

Since Christmas Eve, the winding roads of Murree are flooded with tourists determined to spend the long weekend enjoying the crisp winter air at the popular holiday destination.

Long queues of cars, vans and buses were witnessed making their way to the region’s favourite tourist spot, adding a festive vibe to the town’s atmosphere.

Families and adventurous spirits alike thronged famous tourist attractions such as Kashmir Point, Pindi Point, Bhurban, Patriata, Ayubia, Nathiagali, and Galiyat over the weekend.

The prominent Mall Road strip has been overflowing with holiday goers to the point of bursting, with people barely finding room to stand or move around as they browse shops or scout the area for a bite to eat.

Much to the delight of the trippers, a series of light snowfall has started in Murree and Galiyat, providing them with not only a enjoyable pastime to frolic but also giving them an aesthetic landscape to capture selfies and feed their photography passion.

Besides enjoying a beautiful and enchanting view of the snowfall, the tourists are countering the freezing weather by indulging in rounds of hot tea, coffee, and soup while taking a stroll on Mall Road, where shops are also doing a roaring trade in warm clothing, dry fruit and nuts.

All manners of hotels, guest houses and government rest houses are full to capacity, with most of them having to turn away even more tourists who continue showing up in great numbers.

The Meteorological Department has predicted the continuation of snowfall until Tuesday (today). Murree Assistant Commissioner Muhammad Omar Maqbool has directed all departments, including the Highway Authority, to remain active and alert.

The Murree City Traffic Police has also deployed additional personnel to ensure a smooth traffic flow, and wardens are on duty at all the roads and intersections to help maintain law and order.

Meanwhile, other hill stations around the country such as Swat, Galiyat, Malam Jabba, Dir etc have reported a similar onslaught of tourists.

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Foreigners as well as local tourists, mainly from the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi, have been flocking to snow-clad towns north of Pakistan to witness mesmerising snowfall spells.

A female tourist in Swat shared that people are willingly waiting for hours on end to be served at jam-packed restaurants and to secure a room or two at hotels that are already filled to the brim.

Families busy taking pictures in Malam Jabba enthused that the snowfall has not only given them an outlet to enjoy snow-related activities but have also provided them quality content to share on their social media accounts.

Snowfall paralyses Hazara division

A two-day spell of heavy snowfall and rain all over the Hazara division has paralysed life in the upper parts of the region.

Due to snowfall and land sliding, traffic remained blocked on the Karakoram Highway (KKH) at several locations from Abbottabad to Mansehra, Battagram, and Kohistan, as well as on connecting routes.

In Galyat, Thandyani, Naran, Kaghan, Battagram and other snow-hit areas, electricity transmission lines have also been damaged. Power supply has also been suspended in some areas of Galyat, Kaghan and Naran since the previous day.

Due to constant snowfall and landsliding, all kinds of transportation from Phuldran onward remained suspended on Kaghan Road.

Temperatures also dropped below zero, with Nathiagali, Thandyani and Naran registering -3 degree centigrade and Shogran reporting -2. In three days, Naran received more than five feet of snow, Shogran 3.5 feet, Nathiagali and Thandyani three feet each and Chattar Plain receiving one foot of snow. District administrations and other concerned departments staff have started the road clearance operation.

Galyat Development Authority (GDA), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Highways Authority and Communication and Works (C&W) Department have started clearing snow from main Murree road and using de-icing material where applicable.

WITH ADDITIONAL INPUT FROM APP

 

Published in The Express Tribune, December 28^th, 2021.