Upgradation: Plans afoot to give Murree district status

Chief minister to make announcement; meeting to finalise plan on May 14.

RAWALPINDI:

Murree, known as queen of the hills, will soon get the status of a district, with Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif to make the final announcement. A special meeting is also expected on May 14 in this regard, sources told Daily Express.

Federal Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Provincial Minister Raja Ashfaq Sarwar confirmed the decision.

The Punjab government has finalised the plan by completing legal requirements, they said.

The new district will consist of Murree and Kotli Sattian tehsils. The decision has been taken due to the political importance of the tourist resort.

With the upgradation of status and facilities, Murree will attract more foreign tourists, they added.

A city commissioner and a district coordination officer (DCO) will run the administrative affairs of the proposed district. A separate municipal police will be available in the district.

Murree currently has the status of a municipal corporation.

Traffic problems

Traffic rules must be observed by the tourists to avoid logjams in Murree.

Special arrangements had been made to regulate traffic in Murree, said Rawalpindi Chief Traffic Officer (CTO) Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Shoaib Khurram Janbaz.

He said Murree was a popular tourist resort as a large number of people from all over the country visit the hill station, particularly during the summer.

He said that as many as 130 traffic wardens were performing duties to regulate traffic, while 100 more would also be deployed for summer season.

The City Traffic Police (CTP) would devise a comprehensive traffic plan for the summer season according to which entry of heavy vehicles in the city would be banned, the CTO added.

He said a helpline, 1915, was introduced for facilitating tourists and citizens with traffic-related complaints.

He said that all possible facilities were being provided to the tourists.

He said that an enhanced number of traffic wardens under the supervision of inspectors would be deployed from June 1 at all important points of the city.

The CTO said that strict disciplinary action would be taken against negligent traffic wardens.

The CTO said that several points had been reserved for car parking.

Main roads would be closed for two-way traffic, he said, adding that tourists should cooperate with traffic police so that traffic jams, particularly during the summer season, could be avoided.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 13^th, 2014.