Rawalpindi: The district government on Saturday lifted the imposed Ban On The Entry To Murree that had been halted in the wake of the snowstorm that claimed at least 23 precious lives. Deputy Commissioner Rawalpindi who is also the chairman of the District Disaster Management Authority issued a notification whereby allowing up to 8000 Vehicles to the scenic Murree from all entry points for limited hours under normal conditions of the weather. However, there would be no entry allowed between 5 pm to 5 am. The decision of time limit is not binding for the emergency services and necessary food items and the residents of Murree Azad Kashmir and the officials and Military vehicles. The KP government has also allowed tourists. Entry to Kaghan and Naran was closed owing to the Murree Snowstorm Tragedy.
As per details of the notification issued by Muhammad Ali, Deputy Commissioner Rawalpindi, the district Chief Traffic Officer would carry out a comprehensive plan for the limited traffic strategy. He would be responsible for the daily and hourly database of the number of vehicles entering the city from all entry points. The men deployed on the roads would ensure the timely intimation of the number of vehicles from all entry points to the authorities concerned. The net traffic count will also be managed by the officials of the traffic police on the basis of the data for entry and exit.
The notification further added that the Chief Traffic Police office and XEN Mechanical machinery would remain in contact with the Met Department for timely updates about the weather conditions for immediate response in case of any emergency conditions. It states, “XEN Mechanical Machinery and Chief Traffic Police Office shall have effective coordination with Pakistan Meteorological Department to set up, maintain, review and upgrade mechanism for early warning to regulate traffic,”
On the other hand, the KP government has also reopened the scenic valleys of Kaghan and Shogran which were closed for tourists in the aftermath of the Murree Tragedy. The Assistant Commissioner Balakot Saddam Memon said, “We have resumed the tourism activities in the Shogran and Kaghan valley as the district administration allowed the tehsil administration to lift the ban and allow tourists ahead.” The AC further added that the administration is also having a close eye on the hotelier and transporters and that nobody would be allowed to exploit the tourists. He said, “We will never tolerate fleecing of the tourists by anybody either hoteliers or four-wheelers.” He also advised the tourists to make necessary arrangements before they start their journey to the Hill Stations.
Meanwhile, the Committee formed by the Punjab Government to probe the Murree Close Monitoring has also finalized its report and will be presented to the CM soon. The officials of the committee remained in Murree for two days and had conversations with all stakeholders including the locals, police officers, and the eyewitnesses of the incident. The government has announced stern action against those responsible for the sorry state of affairs that lead to the demise of innocent tourists.
