Upgrading Murree: Locals await district status

Official says three proposals lying with Punjab govt.

RAWALPINDI: Frustrated with issues concerning serious shortage of clean drinking water, lack of parking space for tourists as well as lack of gas supply to rural areas, residents eagerly await the Punjab government’s election promise of awarding a district status to Murree.

Slow progress on the part of the committee constituted by the Punjab government after the general elections to suggest a workable way forward to give Murree a district status has upset the locals.

The committee, headed by Petroleum Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, has devised three proposals that have been sent to the government of Punjab for approval.

A senior officer of the Rawalpindi District Government requesting anonymity told The Express Tribune that currently one assistant coordination officer (ACO) and a tehsil municipal officer (TMO) were managing the hill station’s affairs.

He said since the area under their supervision was so large, it was not possible for them to look after affairs of both rural and urban localities.

Giving details about the three proposals, the official informed that “the first proposal is to divide Murree in two tehsils — urban and rural — each with an ACO and TMO.”

The second option is to take Murree as a corporate model with a chief executive as its head, assisted by managers for finance, operations and development and it continues being part of Rawalpindi district, he said.

“Funds will be given to the chief executive for development,” the official said.

The committee’s third proposal suggests that Murree should have its own development authority as it had in the past.

It should be run by a director-general or managing director who would look after the tehsil’s affairs, it has been suggested.

When contacted, Rawalpindi Division Commissioner Zahid Saeed confirmed that three proposals had been presented by the committee to the Punjab government and said all possible efforts were being made to resolve the problems faced by Murree residents.

He said proposals were under consideration and whichever was approved would be implemented without delay.

Saeed said earlier an idea was floated to make Kohsar a district, with Murree as its headquarters, comprising Murree, Kotli Sattian and Kahuta tehsils.

But the idea was given up after residents of Kahuta opposed the suggestion arguing Rawalpindi was much nearer to them compared to Murree.

An election stunt?

Slow progress by the committee has forced locals to believe that the venture was nothing more than an election stunt.

“It was just a joke to get people’s opinion in their favour and after winning elections, the matter was pushed on the back burner,” said Sajjad Safdar, a resident.

Commenting on the problems, former tehsil nazim Sardar Saleem Khan said sui gas provided to rural areas was disconnected by the government after the 2008 elections.

“We are left with no option but to cut trees,” he said.

The Murree water project, which was dismantled due to escalating costs, could not be revised or restarted despite the Supreme Court’s order, Khan informed. Clean drinking water is the most serious issue facing residents and people are forced to use water from local streams that have been contaminated by runoff gutters and storm drains.

“In summers, around 0.3 million tourists visit the city and face severe shortage of parking space,” Saleem said.

Muhammad Ali, a government schoolteacher, said the idea of a district status was taken up in 2007. He said paperwork was completed but there was a delay due to elections in 2008 and the plan could not materialise later.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 23^rd, 2015.