MURREE — Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has ordered round-the-clock monitoring of all arterial roads in Murree following a landslide that disrupted traffic and triggered fears of a repeat of the 2022 winter tragedy.
The directive comes after debris blocked access routes in the hill station, leaving commuters stranded for hours. The Chief Minister tasked the district administration and the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) with maintaining a constant watch on vulnerable slopes. She emphasized that the safety of tourists and locals must take precedence over routine operations.
The move aims to prevent the kind of logistical collapse seen during previous heavy weather events. In January 2022, a blizzard trapped thousands of vehicles, resulting in the deaths of 22 people. That disaster exposed critical failures in traffic management and early warning systems.
“We cannot afford a lapse in judgment when human lives are at stake,” the Chief Minister told officials during a briefing on the current situation. She instructed the Commissioner of Rawalpindi to ensure that machinery remains stationed at high-risk points, ready to clear blockages before they escalate into major traffic gridlocks.
While the current landslide was cleared by afternoon, the incident has highlighted the fragility of the region’s infrastructure during seasonal shifts. Local authorities are now enforcing stricter entry protocols for vehicles, particularly during heavy rainfall or snowfall, to prevent overcrowding on narrow hill roads.
The PDMA has issued a fresh alert for the Galyat region, warning that the unstable terrain remains prone to further movement. With the tourist season ongoing, the administration faces the delicate task of balancing economic activity with the tightening of safety regulations.
For now, the district administration has set up a dedicated control room to coordinate real-time updates between the traffic police, rescue services, and the highway department. The Chief Minister’s office expects a progress report on the deployment of heavy equipment by the end of the week.
