A snowstorm that hit Murree lately led to the death of 22 people, stranded in their cars that were snowed under. Several questions that raise their heads must be answered so that loopholes are fixed to avoid future disasters.
If one is to believe the videos of The Mall two days before the tragedy, no one could move freely- the famous lane was choked with bodies as far as one could see.
There were reportedly warnings of the coming storm but the road to Murree was still not closed down. It was said that the police tried warning oncoming tourists not to go ahead. However, they did not pay heed. This may be true in certain cases, but it was the duty of the administration to block the road with containers if was so needed. This was a non-negotiable situation and should have been treated as such. One can recall the containers used by the government for stopping long marches. How was it difficult to do the same in this situation?
The second aspect of administration failure is that there was no equipment present to shovel piled-up snow, knowing a snowstorm has been predicted. It was also about making lives livable for the locals of the area and tourists who were already there before the storm struck. Due to this failure, many hours were lost before the equipment could be moved in this weather condition, and rescue efforts could be started. Reportedly, rescue operations started at 8 am after the deadly night had passed.
Though the commission has been formed to “fix” responsibility, will it be a sacrificial lamb to save the neck of others?
This is a failure of colossal standards. Even after tragedy struck, the relevant officials failed to put up an appearance. Though the commission has been formed to “fix” responsibility, will it be a sacrificial lamb to save the neck of others?
The second aspect was the shockingly insensitive behavior of the locals. Of course, exceptions are always there, but by and large, there are stories of such selfishness that one can only make one’s head hang in shame. Reportedly, rates of rooms that fetched 3000 Pak Rupees per night shot up to Rs 40 thousand to Rs 50 thousand. A local pack of biscuits went for Rs 300 and one boiled egg was being charged at Rs 500.
On a national TV Channel, a TV anchor showed the dip in a road. A truck was parked there to slow down a car on the road going outwards from Murree and before the dip climbed up due to the hilly mountain area. Men would sit there with chains, waiting for the car to stop and the engine to go cold thereby unable to climb upward, they would then swoop down (like jackals?) and offer chain rental for Rs 3000 per car to toe it from where they could be on their way.
“According to AFP, videos shared on social media showed cars packed bumper-to-bumper, with one-meter-high piles of snow on their roofs.”
The two entities that put their head down and worked in rescue operations to provide an easement to the stranded humanity was the Army along with workers of Jamaat-e-Islami and Al-Khidmat. These were the people who put their heart and soul to save as many as they could.
Yet another aspect was the cause of death of all those who died. A lot has been said about carbon monoxide that caused the death of those trapped in cars. This may be true, but had the road been blocked and/or the machinery needed for removing snow had been there after the prediction of a snowstorm and the needful was being done, this situation would not have happened. ‘Trees fell at 16 different points, blocking off the roads for traffic, said an initial report.’ (January 10, 2022, as per an English daily)
As per a national TV Channel; “The initial investigation report stated that the main roads of Murree hill station and its adjoining areas were not maintained for the last two years that had disrupted traffic flow due to snow-filled pits. On the other hand, the absence of government machinery for clearing the slippery roads on the main exit routes of Murree became disastrous. Moreover, the tourists had preferred to stay in their vehicles due to the suspension of electricity to the hotels.”
As for the ludicrous statements by certain ministers placing the cause of death on the rush to be in Murree merits no response.
Many plans have been spun, from making a diverting road to making car parks, to setting up a shuttle service and two new police stations. However, without the two elements/failures on part of the administration (stated above)that took place being addressed, similar incidents can happen in the future too.
Instead of point-scoring, or shrugging off responsibility, there must a sincere effort through the “Commission” to understand the real reasons and address them.
The writer is a lawyer, academic, political analyst and a published author. She can be contacted at [email protected] and tweets @yasmeen_9.