Murree made off-limits to tourists

On Monday the Murree administration banned the entry of tourists to the hill station without prior booking.

The local administration imposed the ban after over 7,000 vehicles entered the hill station, causing traffic snarl-ups at several locations.

According to a spokesperson for the district administration, tourists coming to Murree without prior booking were being returned from 17 Mile Toll Plaza. However, the restrictions will not be applicable to the residents of Murree.

According to a spokesperson for the district administration, Murree has been overcrowded with tourists and the Rawalpindi district administration has banned the entry of tourists to Murree for the second consecutive day. “Locals and tourist families with only pre-bookings are being allowed,” he said.

The ban has been imposed to deal with possible emergencies and maintain the flow of traffic. The district administration spokesperson said that the heads and officials of different institutions were present in Murree to facilitate tourists. Moreover, government-owned machinery has also been sent to Murree to deal with any emergency.

He said that traffic flow has slowed down due to a large number of tourists entering Murree. He requested the citizens to avoid travelling to Murree to avoid any inconvenience.

Meanwhile, in view of increasing traffic jams in Murree, Punjab Police Inspector General Faisal Shahkar has issued orders to deploy additional personnel to cater to facilitate tourists.

He directed the CTO Murree and other senior officers to ensure traffic flow on roads in Murree.

He directed that immediate action must be taken against illegal parking on Mall Road and other busy highways. As per the SOPs, once the capacity exceeds, no more vehicles should be allowed to enter Murree and Galiyat, the top police officer said.

He also directed RPO Rawalpindi to ensure that a police control room and its helplines 1915 and 051-9269200 stay functional in Murree and that the tourism force should remain active to guide and facilitate tourists throughout their stay. He said that special arrangements should be ensured to cater to the rising number of tourists on holidays.

CTO Murree Naveed Irshad has advised the tourists travelling to Murree and other hill stations to observe traffic rules to avoid traffic congestion such that double road parking and taking selfies on roadsides should be avoided to prevent mishaps.

Moreover, special pickets have also been set up at all the toll plazas and entrances of Murree to regulate traffic. Rawalpindi Police Radio Station 88.6, traffic police, and all the official social media pages were also updating the citizens regarding the situation of traffic flow on roads of Murree, he added.

Furthermore, the CTO said that over 250 traffic wardens deployed in Murree were directed to take strict action under the law against violators. He also said that there is an uninterrupted flow of traffic on all main highways of Murree.

Since PC Bhurban Road, Lower Topa Road, Jhika Gali, and Kaldana Road are experiencing unusual traffic pressure, therefore, additional personnel have been deployed, he said.

He further said that 7,600 vehicles have entered Murree since the morning although the parking area could only accommodate 3,500 vehicles due to which the traffic flow has increased at a fast pace. Only 8,000 vehicles would be allowed to enter Murree and Galiyat. In this regard, Murree Traffic and Tourism Police are doing their best to ensure smooth traffic flow, he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 9^th, 2022.