RAWALPINDI: After getting no response from the Punjab government regarding the allocation of funds for the deployment of the staff to perform winter and snowfall duties in Murree, the Civil Defence Department has deputed only 10 members in the city to deal with snow-related tasks.

The Punjab government asked all the rescue departments to implement a winter/snowfall plan in Murree from November 1 to February 28 and depute all the staff and machinery to avoid a tragedy like 2022 in which more than 23 people died after they were trapped in snowfall.

However, the provincial government failed to provide any additional staff to the civil defence department to perform rescue services and provide first aid to the people in case of snowfall, or any untoward situation. A senior official of the department told Dawn that there was a shortage of staff in the department and it sought help from the Punjab government, particularly for the budget to depute staff in Murree after training.

He said that the civil defence officials were supposed to perform duties at facilitation centres, health camps, sensitive junctions, the control room, and facilitating tourists in case of emergency. At present, there are only 10 members which is negligible with regards to the task at hand.

Department’s request for 90 additional workers remains unanswered

During the meeting of the high-powered committee in Lahore last month, it was decided to increase the number of seats, but the same could not materialise. He said that the provincial government gave a cold shoulder to the department and it had no option but to depute the available staff of 10 people in Murree for the winter and snowfall duties. The official said the department needed to recruit 90 ‘volunteers’ for four months, and it required Rs11.5 million for the task.

When contacted, Civil Defence Officer Talib Hussain confirmed that there was a shortage of staff and that they had sought the help of the provincial government.

He said that as per standard operating procedures issued by the Punjab government, there were 10 locations where the civil defence officials had to perform duties during the season.

In January 2022, as many as 22 people died in vehicles trapped in snow. After the incident of Murree, the-then commissioner, deputy commissioner, and other officials were transferred for their negligence.

After the incident, the Lahore High Court Rawalpindi Bench also directed the authorities to make a winter plan to deal with traffic before the start of the snow season in the hill station.

Snowfall measures

On the other hand, the Murree administration has completed its plan for winter and asked the departments of the highway and police to depute their staff in the hill station by November 15. A senior official of the administration said that there was a shortage of staff in different departments and the administration asked them to deploy all the staff as per the contingency plan for the winter season to avoid any untoward situation.

Meanwhile, District Health Authority Chief Executive Officer Dr Asif Arbab Niazi said all the basic health units will perform their duties in three shifts. He said that in case of a shortage of beds, three private hospitals will help the government to utilise their beds. He said that eight ambulances and four mobile clinics in Rawalpindi will also be used in cases of emergency.

Published in Dawn, November 3rd, 2024