Travel guidelines issued as snowfall attracts tourists to Murree

MURREE: New travel guidelines have been issued for Murree passengers as snowfall brought a large number of tourists to the mountain resort town, ARY News reported.

Intermittent snowfall has continued in Murree which attracted a large number of tourists to the area.

According to the assistant commissioner, the town has a parking capacity of 4,000 vehicles but 50,000 cars have entered Murree so far. The local administration and traffic cops were presented in the field for assisting the tourists.

The assistant commissioner advised tourists to get weather updates and traffic-related information prior to travelling to Murree. The AC also said that Bardhiyan to Nathiagali was closed due to snowfall.

Tourists have been advised to keep the air pressure in their vehicle’s tyres low and always avoid stopping their cars in the middle of the road for capturing selfies and photos. The AC also asked citizens to act responsibly for maintaining the traffic flow.

After the beginning of the snowfall season, hordes of tourists reached Balochistan’s Ziarat to enjoy the season’s first snowfall, causing problems of residence due to the rush in the area.

Seeing the situation of tourists, the government’s owned guest houses in the area have also been opened for the general public. Meanwhile, heavy machinery has reached the area in case of any road blocking, the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) said.

Earlier this week, the severity of cold in Skardu and adjoining areas increased drastically as residents experienced the first winter snowfall.

After the snowfall, the road connections of the 40 per cent upper areas are disconnected with Skardu, while the flights of Pakistan International Airlines have been cancelled.

The MET office has said that the snowfall will continue till night, while the mercury has dropped down to -9 in Skardu. -5 was recorded in Astore, while the mercury was recorded at -4 in Malam Jabba and Bagrot.