Day: January 11, 2022

MURREE:Days after 23 people lost their lives in Murree when their cars became stuck on snow-covered roads, the government Tuesday extended the ban on entry into Murree for six more days.

The announcement was made by the National Highway and Motorway Police (NHMP) on its Twitter handle. “Entry into Murree Banned,” wrote the NHMP on its Twitter handle, adding the ban will remain in place until 17 January 2022 as per directions issued by the District Administration.

On Monday, the ban on tourists’ entry in Murree and Galiyat had been extended for 24 hours. The extension in ban was announced by Minister for Interior Sheikh Rashid. The minister had also appealed the tourists and families to avoid travelling to Murree due to heavy traffic jam there.

Sheikh Rashid had mentioned in a statement that a large number of tourists were present in Murree and Galiyat to enjoy the weather after the area received heavy snowfall. He said that the administration of Rawalpindi and Murree were efficiently working to facilitate the citizens. He had added that due to heavy traffic and presence of a large number of tourists, the traffic movement towards Murree was very slow. He added over 100,000 vehicles have so far entered Murree and Galiyat from Islamabad.

On Saturday, at least 23 people died in an enormous traffic jam caused by tens of thousands of visitors thronging the hill town to see unusually heavy snowfall. The resort town of Murree, around 70 kilometres of Islamabad, was inundated with tourists and day trippers last week after unusually heavy snow turned it into a winter wonderland. But a blizzard from Friday onwards felled trees and blocked narrow roads leading in and out of the town, which clings to steep hills and valleys at an altitude of 2,300 metres (7,500 feet).

SANJAWI:Haji Noor Muhammad Dumar, Senior Minister for Finance, has said that the incumbent provincial government under the leadership of Mir Abdul Quddus Bizenjo, Chief Minister Balochistan was adopting concrete measures to provide basic facilities, including health and education, to the people of the province.

These views were expressed by him while addressing a public meeting in Tanda Wani area of Sanjawi at the residence of Haji Din Muhammad Aka on Tuesday. Dumar said that priority had been attached to redress the grievances of the people at their threshold, adding that work on several development projects being executed in the constituency was in full swing.

He remarked that all available resources would be utilized to remove the backwardness of the constituency, adding, “Our manifesto is to provide services to the people without any discrimination”. Highlighting the problems being faced by the people of under developed areas of both the districts, that is Harnai and Ziarat, included in the constituency, Dumar said that after consulting elders of both the districts, sufficient funds would be allocated for the development of under developed areas of the constituency. On the occasion, Arbab Jamil Ahmed Kasi, Section Officer, Finance Department and Private Secretary to Senior Minister for Finance was also present.

MURREE:The authorities on Tuesday have launched an inquiry against the hotels for jacking up the rents in snowstorm-hit Murree.

According to details, three hotels have been sealed over heavily raising room rent. The tourists said that accommodation charges were raised from Rs6,000 to Rs70,000 per room. Some people also complained of increased prices of food items amid the severe weather conditions.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister of Punjab (CM) Sardar Usman Buzdar assured to take indiscriminate action against the responsible people over the negligence that claimed lives of 23 people. Nation is saddened over the deaths of innocent people in the blizzard, he added.

On the other hand, ban on entry of the tourists in Murree and Galiyat has been extended for another 24 hours. Minister for Interior Sheikh Rashid made the announcement in a statement. The ban will not be applicable on the residents of Murree and adjoining areas. The decision to lift the ban will be taken after reviewing the situation.

HUB:Collectorate of Customs, Balochistan claimed to have seized 4600 bottles of foreign liquor worth Rs70 million in an Intelligence based joint operation with Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) conducted in the open sea of Winder Dam, a coastal area of district Lasbella in Balochistan province, on Tuesday. Five alleged smugglers were also arrested during the operation.

According to a statement issued by the media cell of Collectorate of Customs, Balochistan, 4600 bottles of foreign worth Rs70 million were seized from a ship in an Intelligence based joint operation with ANF in the open sea of Winder Dam, a coastal area of district Lasbella. Five alleged smugglers were also arrested during the operation.

Muhammad Sadiq, Chief Collector, Collectorate of Customs, Balochistan and Chaudry Javed, Collector Customs, Balochistan appreciated the performance of Additional Collector, Kamran Ali Rana, Deputy Collector, Fathatullah Khan and Superintendent, Nisar Sheikh.