Murree scrambles to finish snow preps by December 15

Commissioner visits facility centres in Lower Topa, Jhika Gali

RAWALPINDI:

The Rawalpindi commissioner visited tourist facilitation centres that have been setup at 13 different locations, including Lower Topa and Jhika Gali, and gave the local administration till December 15 to complete preparations for the snow season.

A spokesperson said that Rawalpindi Commissioner Liaquat Ali Chatha had instructed the Murree deputy commissioner to ensure there was a digital record of vehicles entering Murree during the snowfall season. He also ordered the creation of a comprehensive regarding security and traffic arrangements.

The spokesperson said he issued the directives to Murree DC Zaheer Abbas Shirazi during a visit to the district to establish the facilitation centers in Lower Topa and Jhika Gali. He was accompanied by the regional police officer.

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The spokesman said 13 facility centers had been established at different places in Murree which had been linked to a control room.

During their visit, the officials received a briefing about the arrangements to facilitate tourists. It includes a shuttle service like last year, he said. A ban has been placed on any type of construction during the three months when snow is expected.

There would be a ban on the entry of motorcycles on the expressway during the period from December 15 to February 15.

Similarly, salt would be sprinkled on the roads during snow to clear the roads within the shortest possible period, the spokesperson said.

They added that officials had been assigned to the facility centers. All the departments would remain on high alert 24 hours a day during the snowfall season, they said.

Read Murree gears up for tourists’ influx

The commissioner had also instructed the officers that all the snow removal machinery should be kept operational and must be deployed at main points, said the spokesperson.

The official also issued orders to expedite the work on an under-construction u-turn for the bypass ‘so that no problems were faced during the snow’.

According to the spokesperson, the commissioner called for repairing faulty street lights. He also ordered the administration to prosecute those involved in cutting trees in Murree.

Quoting the RPO, the spokesperson said police personnel would be deployed in different shifts to help and assist the tourists.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 11^th, 2023.