Hoteliers, jeep drivers asked to follow SOPs in Kaghan valley

MANSEHRA: The police on Wednesday asked the hoteliers and jeep drivers to strictly follow the standard operating procedures (SOPs) set by the government for the tourism industry in Kaghan valley.

“The clearance of snow and cutting of giant glaciers on the Mansehra-Naran-Jalkhad (MNJ) Road is in progress, and the tourism season is expected to begin soon,” Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Paris Khushal Khan told a meeting held with hoteliers, jeep drivers, and representatives of the local business community. He said the National Highway Authority had started reopening the Mansehra-Naran-Jalkhad (MNJ) Road to restore traffic between Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan, as well as within the district.

The DSP said that District Police Officer Shafiullah Khan Gandapur had placed the police on alert ahead of the anticipated tourism influx in Kaghan valley.“We have deployed our forces at tourist resorts of Shogran, and all police stations and posts that were closed following the first snowfall in November last year will be reactivated soon,” Khan said.

He advised that visitors should not be allowed near the Kunhar River, which flows at a dangerously high level during the summer.“Hoteliers and jeep drivers should sensitise tourists not to approach the river for their own and their families’ safety,” he emphasised.