Murree slams doors on vehicles

Officials say hill station also runs out of parking space

RAWALPINDI:

For the first time after the Murree tragedy, there has been an extraordinary rush of tourists in the famous hill station during the Eid holidays and the weekend. On the orders of the district administration, the city traffic police temporarily closed the entry of vehicles in the ‘Queen of Mountains’.

During the three days of Eid, more than 19,800 vehicles entered Murree while 12,000 vehicles left the hill resort. Sources said the parking space in Murree had also run out.

Given the fear of the arrival of more tourists today [Sunday], the entry of vehicles was temporarily closed. Motorcyclists without helmets were also banned from entering the hill station.

According to sources, the tourists were facing difficulties due to the non-implementation of decisions made after the Murree tragedy.

The city traffic police said the influx of tourists continued on the three days of Eid and the long weekend.

According to the orders of DIG Traffic, the best traffic facilities were being provided to the tourists coming to Murree. Chief Traffic Officer Taimur Khan was personally supervising all traffic arrangements. More than 284 officers and men were busy performing traffic duties.

There is a severe shortage of parking due to narrow roads and two-way traffic. The CTP guided and helped more than 950 tourists in various ways during their duty.

For the convenience of tourists, the traffic officials were performing duties beyond the usual duty, but due to the lack of parking space, the citizens stuck in the traffic had to face difficulties.

Considering the seriousness of the situation, the district administration decided to temporarily stop the entry of vehicles into Murree until there was more space available.

CTO Taimur Khan said there was no room for more vehicles to enter Murree. “Traffic is being diverted temporarily due to safety and administrative measures,” he said.

The CTO explained that the decision to ban the entry of vehicles was made for the safety and convenience of tourists. “Highways returning from Murree are being kept clear. The entrances will be opened when the vehicle capacity in Murree becomes available,” he said.

“There is pressure on the highways due to two-way traffic and narrow roads. Murree has a total parking capacity of 4,000 vehicles.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 2^nd, 2023.