Police gear up for fresh snow spell in Murree

Travel advisory issued for tourists visiting hill station

RAWALPINDI:

The City Traffic Police (CTP) have deployed additional personnel for the safety and convenience of tourists following the heavy snowfall forecast in Murree conveyed by the Meteorological Department and National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) from February 22 to Friday, February 25.

The CTP have also issued a travel advisory, according to which no more than 8,000 vehicles at a time will be allowed to enter the tourist spot during the snowfall.

On the instructions of Regional Police Officer (RPO) Rawalpindi Ashfaq Ahmad Khan, the CTP have made special arrangements to ensure maximum travel facilities for the tourists and have deployed additional duties of traffic police wardens and staff.

Traffic police officials have said that on the orders of the district administration, not a single vehicle above 8,000 will be allowed to ply the roads of Murree at a time, said traffic police officials.

They further said that pickets have been set up at toll plazas and other entrances to Murree to monitor traffic movement closely and for distribution of awareness pamphlets to the tourists. Only mechanically fit vehicles and licensed drivers will be allowed enter Murree, they added.

The officials went on to say that keeping in mind the severity of the weather and the potential rush, tourists coming to Murree should travel with extra warm clothes and food items in the car and keep a complete toolkit handy in case of emergency.

Tourists have been asked to follow the given travel instructions to make their journey safe and comfortable. In case of any traffic problem during the journey, the holidaymakers have been requested to contact the City Traffic Police Helpline.

Mega project okayed
for Murree

A mega project for the construction of roads on all 12 minor entrances and mountain links from Islamabad, Kotli Sattian, Kahuta, Abbottabad and Azad Jammu and Kashmir to Murree has been approved.

The project is being built to ensure maximum options for safe entry and exit to and from the popular tourist destination.

The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) government will develop all four minor entrances from Abbottabad and Galiyat, while the Punjab government will release funds for the development of all entrances from Punjab. The latter include routes from Samli to Angoori Road, Khajut to Badhwar Link, Khanna Bridge Islamabad Highway to Anguri Road, and Masiyari to Phaphrial and Lower Topa Road.

During a cabinet meeting held in Lahore on Monday, Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar said that the government would formally declare Murree a new district.

He also gave approval for the Kohsar Development Authority (KDA). He further stated that the aforesaid link roads would be given the status of regular roads and a final approval and action plan would be worked out.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, Member National Assembly (MNA) Sadaqat Abbasi said that they had learnt a lot from the heart-wrenching Murree tragedy. He added that the government was taking steps for the prevention of such incidents in future.

“Fool-proof security arrangements have been made during this snowfall season; all out-going link roads of Murree have been cleared,” he said. The construction of 12 new exit roads from Murree will improve the traffic system and hundreds of vehicles will be able to return safely from Murree at the same time without any hurdle, he added.

Approval has also been given to begin work on a new 123km Tourism Expressway from Rawalpindi to Murree in the first week of February.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 23^rd, 2022.