Tourists go to Murree in hordes

Ag APP

Islamabad : Eid holidays may be over but tourists went to Murree hill station and adjoining areas in hordes on Saturday to enjoy pleasant weather and see sights.

Pindi Point, Kashmir Point, the Mall and Ayubia were their main attractions. A sizable number of youth, especially from Rawalpindi and Islamabad, were seen there.

The police checked tourists for COVID-19 vaccination certificates in line with the guidelines issued by the National Command and Control Centre to stem the spread of coronavirus and sent back the unvaccinated ones.

According to them, 85,000 vehicles entered the hill station during Eid days against the capacity of 3,200. A total of 340 traffic personnel were deployed there to manage traffic and guide tourists.

The police cancelled leaves of personnel during Eid days.

Local hotels reported a surge in bookings with the visitors complaining about excessive charges.

Traffic jams were witnessed on the Mall, GPO Chowk and Kuldanna Road, while gas and power cuts were reported in some areas of Murree and Galiyat.

APP adds: Over 145,000 vehicles entered Murree during Eidul Azha holidays while as many as 57,000 went out from the hill station, said a City Traffic Police (CTP) spokesman on Saturday.

He informed that 340 traffic personnel were deployed in Murree to guide the tourists and provide all possible facilities to them.

He said CTP had banned the entry of heavy vehicles, buses and young motorcyclists allegedly involved in one-wheeling or other stunts to ensure safety of the tourists and smooth flow of traffic at the hill station.

CTP Rawalpindi had chalked out a comprehensive plan for Eid-ul-Azha under which over 340 Wardens and Traffic officers were deployed in Murree aimed at avoiding traffic mess, he said adding, there was a parking facility of just 3200 vehicles in Murree.

The CTP on the directives of Chief Traffic Officer, Rawalpindi had finalized all the arrangements besides setting up a control room at Traffic Police Headquarters to monitor the situation but due to heavy traffic load, the vehicles were moving at snail’s pace at different points particularly at Lower Topa and Jhika Gali, creating problems for the road users.

Wheelies and the car-skaters were dealt with in accordance with the law and the rules violators were sent behind the bars, he said adding that traffic wardens had been directed to impound motorcycles of one-wheelers in respective police stations.

He said, the citizens, particularly the parents, were urged to play role to curb the activity as one wheeling, rash and negligent driving are the main causes for fatal accidents.

All the traffic officers and Wardens had also been directed to remain present at their duty points so that no traffic jam could take place, he added.

He told that all-out efforts were being made by Rawalpindi Traffic Police to facilitate the road users adding, in view of the security of the citizens, special traffic arrangements had been made besides deployment of Rawalpindi District Police officials.

Traffic Wardens had also been directed to work with dedication and commitment and ensure the traffic flow so that traffic mess particularly on congested roads could be averted and the citizens could be provided relief, he said and informed that as per the National Command and Control Centre (NCOC) guidelines to contain spread of the deadly coronavirus, the entry of tourists in Murree was banned without the COVID-19 vaccination certificate.

He urged the motorists to strictly follow traffic rules on the roads of Murree to avoid traffic congestion and road mishaps.

Talking to APP, he said that the tourists travelling to Murree and other hill stations were advised to obey traffic rules to avoid road accidents.

He informed that the CTP had designated several points for car parking.

A number of main roads including Kashmir Point, Mall Road, Guldana Road and other roads had been closed for two-way traffic to ease traffic flow.

He urged the tourists to cooperate with traffic police so that the traffic mess could be avoided.

The motorists should avoid wrong parking on roads which would help ensure the smooth flow of traffic.

The beautiful climate of Murree has attracted a large number of tourists so the motorists are facing traffic congestion at some points,he said adding that traffic moves even slower due to heavy traffic load.

City Police Officer (CPO) Rawalpindi, Muhammad Ahsan Younas and Chief Traffic Police (CTO) Rawalpindi Rai Mazhar Iqbal also visited Murree and monitored the traffic load, directing the traffic wardens to make all-out efforts to facilitate the tourists.

CPO, CTO and other senior officers remained present in the field and conducted on ground monitoring of the situation, he informed.

The CTO advised the tourists to avoid wrong parking, double lines, speeding and taking selfies in the middle of the roads.