LAHORE: Chief Minister Punjab Usman Buzdar on Sunday constituted a seven-member inquiry committee, headed by the Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Punjab, to probe the tragic incident of Murree.
A meeting was held under the chairmanship of Punjab Chief Minister after he conducted an aerial inspection of the areas of Murree affected due to heavy snowfall. The chief minister expressed his displeasure over entry of more vehicles than capacity in Murree.
Provincial Law Minister Raja Basharat, Punjab Government Spokesperson Hasaan Khawar, chief secretary of Punjab, senior member of the Board of Revenue Punjab, commissioner Rawalpindi, and inspector general Punjab Police were also present in the meeting.
The committee will determine the perpetrators of negligence within seven days and action against those found guilty will also be taken within a week.
The meeting also decided to pay Rs800,000 to those killed in the Murree tragedy on Friday night. He told the meeting that the financial aid was not a cure for grief “but we share the pain of the bereaved families”.
Sources said that Rs176 million has been approved in the meeting for the families of those killed in the resort town, under which Rs800,000 will be given to each of the 22 victim’s families.
Immediate financial assistance of Rs33.5 million has also been sanctioned for those who lost their lives in yesterday’s rains. The meeting further decided to upgrade the administrative structure of Murree and give it the status of a district.
“In this regard, suggestions have been sought from the chief secretary and senior member Board of Revenue,” the chief minister told the meeting.
Buzdar also approved the establishment of two new police stations in Murree, while officers of the ranks of additional deputy commissioner and superintendent of police will be posted in the area with immediate effect.
The chief minister said stern measures would be taken to effectively control the flow of tourists into Murree. He also directed officials to take action against hotels for overcharging visitors who were stuck due to the snowstorm.
Investigation promised
Taking to his official Twitter handle, the provincial government spokesperson said: “We will complete the investigation in every aspect in the light of the instructions of the prime minister.”
ریسیکیو ۱۱۲۲، پولیس، انتظامیہ، پی ڈی ایم اے، این ایچ اے اور فوج سمیت تمام متعلقہ اداروں نے مربوط انداز میں صورتحال کی سنگینی میں کمی کی کوشش کی
وزیراعظم کی ہدایات کی روشنی میں ہر پہلو سے تحقیقات مکمل کریں گے
سانحے سے نظام میں موجود نقائص کی نشاندہی کرکے بہتر سسٹم وضع کریں گے
— Hasaan Khawar (@hasaankhawar) January 9, 2022
Khawar further stated that the Punjab government will develop a better system by identifying the flaws in the existing system from the tragedy that took the lives of 22 tourists trapped in their vehicles by heavy snowfall.
Murree tragedy
A day earlier, the army and the district administration had launched a massive operation to rescue stranded tourists in and around Murree.
To enjoy snowfall, tens of thousands of people thronged Punjab’s hill town of Murree but a large number of vehicles stranded in snow on Friday night and 22 people died. Eight of them froze to death in their cars and others probably died from asphyxiation after inhaling exhaust fumes in snow-bound vehicles.
