The tragedy of Murree, which occurred during the first snowfall of winter last year, is still fresh in the minds of the masses; up to 23 domestic vacationers who had come to watch the snowfall were killed after a snowstorm dropped more than four feet of snow on Murree, the most visited hill station in Punjab, on January 7, 2022. A recurrence of the Murree tragedy was avoided this weekend when more than 200 visitors were rescued from Pir Chinasi, a tourist attraction in Azad Kashmir’s Neelum Valley. The bends of the road leading to Pir Chinasi are highly perilous, treacherous, and tortuous, according to the authorities. More than 30 tourist vehicles became stuck in the snow, but prompt rescue operations by the local authorities let 233 people, the majority of whom were from Karachi, relocate to safer areas. Snowmobiles with ropes attached to their tyres were later used to remove the snow. For several months, there have been reports doing the rounds that magnificent plans were developed by officials in their daily meetings, but when the weather got bad, it appeared that nothing extraordinary was done to cope with such a situation. According to media reports, a study done by the Punjab Home Department on the preparedness of 13 government departments regarding weather-related eventualities found that the majority of the departments have yet to unveil their rosters. By the time the first snowfall (or snowstorm) of the winter arrived, jeeps were not outfitted for road salting, and three of the 14 pieces of salting equipment were broken. Snow removal machines are also insufficient in quantity and are not functioning properly. As the snow continues to fall in Murree, an inflow of tourists is expected. By Friday morning, 6,000 automobiles had entered Murree, when only 8,000 vehicles are permitted on the hills. The circumstances necessitate that the authorities’ traffic advisory for tourists is implemented as soon as possible. In response to a Lahore High Court ruling, the Punjab government extended the winter break by one week. As a result, many visitors from Punjab and other parts of the nation would travel to the higher regions to take advantage of the snowfall. There should be no slack in making early preparations to deal with possibilities, and all involved departments must be diligent in handling any emergency situation. Making decisions based on potential outcomes should become a thing of the past. Technological developments may be useful in this area. *