Tourists flocked to Murree as over 50,000 vehicles entered the city after it received the first snowfall of the season on Sunday, Dec. 26.
The city administration and the traffic police have advised tourists traveling to Murree to follow traffic advisories to ensure a smooth flow of traffic. The hill town has the capacity to park 4,000 cars only, but according to traffic police data around 50,000 vehicles entered after the city snowfall.
The city administration has already deployed traffic wardens under the supervision of inspectors at all important points of the area.
All restaurants in Murree are already jam-packed and the demand for dry fruit and hot beverages surged up as the mercury fell below the freezing point.
Deputy Commissioner Rawalpindi Mohammad Ali Randhawa said the district administration and traffic police were striving hard to provide the best facilities to the tourists coming to Murree. However, he requested the travelers to follow traffic advisories.
Travel advisory issued:
The City Traffic Police (CTP) has issued a traffic advisory for people who want to travel to Murree or other hill stations.
- Check air pressure in vehicles and avoid stopping cars in the middle of the road for photography
- Avoid parking vehicles illegally on either side of the road as this reduces space available for other vehicles to move forward
- Drivers have been requested to remain in their lanes if there was some blockage on the road to avoid traffic jams
- Check traffic-related information and weather updates before travelling to the hill station.
- To get latest updates on weather and traffic situation, tourists can call on 051-9269019
Weather update:
According to a Met official, The Mall and its surrounding areas in Murree received one inch of snow while Malam Jabba accumulated three inches snow.
“It is the first snowfall in Murree’s city areas,” he said, adding that the westerly wave was affecting different parts of the country and was likely to persist till Tuesday. Light rain accompanied by snow is expected in northeast Punjab, upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Potohar Region, Lower Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan, Kashmir, and coastal areas of Sindh.
Meanwhile, dense fog/smog is likely to prevail in central and southern Punjab and the plain areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhawa. Weather is forecasted to remain dry in other parts of the country.
Minimum temperatures recorded in different parts of the country:
Minimum temperatures recorded in different areas were Leh -11°C, Gupis -8°C, Skardu -5°C, Kalam, Kalat, Hunza, Astore -4°C, Malamjabba, Parachinar, Shopian -3°C, Bagrote, Chitral, Murree, Pulwama and Baramulla -2°C.