RAWALPINDI: The roads were reopened to cars on Thursday by the Murree government following a significant snowfall on Wednesday night.
Tourists can now access the main road in Murree and the “Pulgaran” toll plaza, according to Deputy Commissioner (DC) Agha Zaheer Abbas Shirazi.
He said that following the snowfall in Murree, heavy machinery was used to remove the snow, restoring all of the roads to traffic.
The DC stated that the district administration was offering all amenities to the visitors, and that on Wednesday night, it made use of every resource at its disposal to clear the roads that had been obstructed by the heavy snowfall.
According to Agha Zaheer, the administration is dedicated to developing accommodations for visitors and is working nonstop to boost tourism in Murree.
He praised the actions taken by the Murree business community to offer help to the tourists and stated that they should also offer the tourists all possible support.
He was grateful for the action taken on Wednesday night by the Hotel Association and “Markazi Anjuman-e-Tajran” Murree to post the contact information on social media in order to aid and support the tourists.
Agha Zaheer continued, “The administration was also making every effort to support tourism and make travel easier for the visitors.”
On Wednesday night, Deputy Commissioner (DC) Murree, Agha Zaheer Abbas Shirazi, traveled to the Express Highway and other locations to assess the plans put in place to assist tourists as well as the continuous efforts to clear the roads and remove snow.
The DC relayed that in spite of the challenging weather, Municipal Corporation ‘Nari’ has cleared all the roads and maintained traffic flow.
Within Municipal Corporation Murree’s boundaries, traffic was sluggish because of rush hour and slick roadways, according to the DC.
He reported that there were officers and other staff members from several departments in the field.
The DC Murree instructed representatives of the National Highway Authority (NHA) to offer the administration emergency support right away and suggested that visitors check the forecast before traveling to Murree.
He requested that the guests heed the warning given by the management of the tourist area.
He informed them that CCTV cameras were being used from the control room to monitor different roads.
The MET Office reports that Murree received 8.5 inches of snow on Wednesday up until midnight.
A spokesman for the Murree district administration, Additional Deputy Commissioner Revenue, stated that Murree Capt. (Rtd) Qasim Ijaz was keeping an eye on traffic patterns and the snow removal efforts on various roadways.
According to him, the administration was working with the traffic police to take all necessary steps to guarantee the flow of traffic.
He told them that a lot of visitors were coming to Murree to take advantage of the snowfall, and the administration was working very hard to offer them with every amenity.
According to the spokesperson, the Murree administration has been instructed to exercise caution, especially when there is snowfall, by Relief Commissioner Punjab Nabeel Javed.
Additionally, the Relief Commissioner had issued a warning, saying that no concession would be made on the grounds of the officials’ negligence. The Relief Commissioner also directed that heavy gear be used to remove snow as quickly as possible.
Nabeel Javed stated that maintaining traffic flow on the highways should be done at any costs.
According to him, it is the administration’s duty to offer tourists every amenity available in accordance with the weather.
It was also requested of the tourists to confirm the weather before traveling to Murree.
Nabeel Javed continued, “Snowfall in the ‘Queen of Hills’, Murree draws a lot of tourists and the administration was trying to facilitate them and avoid any untoward incident.” While praising the departments’ efforts, ADCR, Qasim Ijaz, stated that all of the personnel involved were out in the field in spite of the bitter weather and the snow.
