ISLAMABAD: Chief Minister Punjab Usman Buzdar on Sunday paid an aerial visit to Murree and adjoining parts following the deaths of almost two dozen tourists due to freezing cold in Murree and Galiyat while the provincial government has decided to pay a compensation amount of 800,000 rupees to the families of each deceased victim.
The provincial government has also announced to upgrade administrative status of Murree from tehsil to district. The officers up to the ranks of deputy commissioner and superintendent of police (SP) would be appointed in Murree for administration and security purposes, it is learnt.
Hilly areas from Murree to Galiyat—as well as Shogran and the adjoining belt have been declared as calamity-hit by the Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governments.
Following his aerial visit, Buzdar chaired a high-level meeting in Murree that decided to form a high-level inquiry committee mandated to probe Murree deaths and submit report to the CM within seven days.
The meeting also approved Rs17.6 million for victims including payment of Rs800,000 to families of each victim.
Families, citizens stranded in Murree shifted to rest houses, hotels: CM Buzdar
The reports suggest that the CM expressed ‘anger’ over reports that tourists in Murree were exploited by the hotel owners and overcharged. In addition, he also reportedly expressed his annoyance over failure of administrative machinery to stop tourists from entering Murree and ordered investigation into it.
Reports suggest that tourists were charged up to Rs50,000 per night by some hotel owners. They were also charged Rs5,000 (each tyre) by some locals for wrapping chains around the tyres to avoid slip.
Major opposition parties including Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) rejected the payment of ‘tiny’ compensation to families of each deceased.
In a statement, PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif expressed concern on the reports that several tourists were still stranded in the Murree and Galiyat.
PPP supremo Asif Ali Zardari, in a statement, said the negligence of the government machinery caused deaths.
Speaking to Business Recorder, President PML-N Punjab Rana Sanaullah said, “Compensation of Rs800,000 to families of each deceased victim is just peanuts. It is like rubbing salt on the wounds of the victim families.”
He said the inquiries launched by the government simply aim at saving the skins of government officials.
“There was a weather forecast of heavy snowfall and snow storm. There were reports that Murree total capacity to accommodate tourists is 5,000 vehicles maximum. Then why hundreds of thousands of vehicles were allowed to enter Murree and Galiyat? Strict action should be taken against the government officials in Murree, Rawalpindi and Galiyat who are totally responsible for this catastrophe,” he said.
Shazia Marri from PPP said, “The government has announced tiny compensation to victims. This tiny amount is in proportion to the tiny status of Imran Khan.”
In a statement, she said, PPP demands strong action against those who left unassisted the hundreds of thousands of tourists in freezing cold.
Even Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA), an ally of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), came down hard on Punjab and KP governments.
Senior GDA leader Nusrat Sehar Abbasi also asked why vehicles in huge numbers were allowed to enter Murree and Galiyat when there was weather forecast of snow storm. “You (government) kept running after revenues and people died,” she told the media.
PTI-led governments in Punjab and KP are under massive criticism from public and political circles for their failure in managing the influx of tourists to small towns of Murree and Galiyat that led to casualties due to freezing weather. By Sunday evening, the death toll had reached 23.
Chairman National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Lieutenant General Akhtar Nawaz Satti told sections of media on Sunday that all the stranded tourist were rescued. Several tourists, he said, walked to their respective hotels/ safer locations by themselves leaving their vehicles on the road to avoid freezing weather.
The rescued tourists were provided medical aid, food and shelter by the military and civilian government machinery, he added.
A spokesman for Galiyat Development Authority (GDA) said the road from Nathia Gali to Abbottabad was cleared.
According to reports, power outages were still persistent in Murree and Galiyat.
Meanwhile, funeral prayers of eight deceased of Murree tragedy were held in Rawalpindi attended by a large number of people. On the occasion, people demanded strong action against government officials responsible for mismanagement in Murree and Galiyat and asked the government to ensure that such incidents do not take place in future.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022
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