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| Image Source: Visgion Substack |
A special meeting chaired by Nawaz Sharif and Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has set out a wide-ranging development plan for the hill station. Here is what was announced.
Murree is Punjab's best-known hill station, and it has long had a reputation for strained infrastructure, especially in peak tourist season. A special meeting on the Murree Development Plan, chaired by Nawaz Sharif and Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif, has now laid out a package of projects covering water supply, roads, tourism, heritage and power. These are government announcements and targets. Some projects are reported as complete, and others are still plans with deadlines attached.
Water: the headline item
Water is the most concrete part of the plan. According to the details shared from the meeting, four major water supply projects have been completed in Murree, and an additional 700,000 gallons of water a day is now being supplied.
The larger project is still ahead. A mega water supply scheme bringing water from the Jhelum River to Murree has a completion deadline of December 2028. Once finished, the bulk water supply project is expected to benefit more than 425,000 residents of Murree and Kotli Sattian.
Roads: an October 31 deadline
The meeting set October 31 as the deadline for completing the construction, expansion and repair of the Rawalpindi-Murree-Kashmir Road. It is the nearest deadline in the package, so it is the first one residents and visitors can check against reality.
A new look for Mall Road
Much of the plan is aimed at Mall Road, the town's main promenade:
- Hill View Park and amphitheater. The first "Hill View Park" will be built on Mall Road, along with an amphitheater with a capacity of 600 people.
- Cleanup and public space. Encroachments are to be removed, and the freed space developed into a family park, walkable areas and a children's play area.
- Heritage restoration. The historic GPO and the Church on Mall Road are to be restored and preserved in their original state.
- Underground power lines. Power lines are to be laid underground at Jhika Gali, the GPO, Government House and Kashmir Point, which should clear overhead wiring from some of the town's most visited spots.
Tourism beyond the Mall
A first-of-its-kind elevated bridge for tourists has been established at Bansra Gali Wildlife Park, described as the first of its type in Punjab. It points to a push to offer visitors something beyond the traditional Mall Road stroll.
Securing the hillside
Building on Murree's slopes carries its own risks. For the Jhika Gali project, 296 piles are to be installed to secure the site, and construction of 200 of them is already complete. That leaves 96 to go, according to the figures shared.
Health: a dedicated line for Sambli Hospital
Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif directed that a dedicated power line be provided to ensure uninterrupted electricity supply for Sambli Hospital. Keeping a hospital running through outages and winter weather is basic, and the directive addresses it directly.
What to watch
Announcements are the easy part. A few markers will show how much of this lands:
- October 31. Whether the Rawalpindi-Murree-Kashmir Road work is actually finished by then.
- Water delivery. Whether the extra 700,000 gallons a day reaches households consistently, and whether the Jhelum scheme stays on track for December 2028.
- Encroachment removal. Clearing Mall Road is often the hardest step politically. It affects shopkeepers and vendors, and how it is handled will matter.
- Protecting the hillside. Murree's slopes are fragile, so how the new construction is managed will matter as much as the construction itself.
If even most of this is delivered on time, Murree could look noticeably different within a couple of years. For now, the deadlines are the part worth tracking.
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