Tourists, including families, thronged Murree during Eidul Fitr holidays to enjoy Eid festivities in the cool environment of the hill station but their joy of celebrating Eid in Murree was mired by the atrocities and brutalities of hotel owners and transporters.
The owners of wagons and buses charged four to five times higher than the original fare whereas the hotel owners fleeced the tourists by demanding 15 times higher fares to rent a room. Rooms rented out at the rate of Rs 500 to Rs 1000 per day were being rented out at the rate ranging between Rs 2,500 to Rs 15,000 per day.
In one such incident, the tourists refused to pay rent at the exorbitant rate and the owners of the hotel and his workers manhandled the tourists and their family members, including elderly, women and children besides subjecting them to violence.
The hotel management injured the tourists, who had to be taken to hospital.
When reporters of a private news channel tried to seek coverage of the incident, they were also thrashed mercilessly by the hotel proprietors. The hotel crew snatched the reporters’ cameras and smashed the panes of DSNG of two private television channels.
Taking notice of the incident, the Punjab CM ordered an immediate probe besides initiation of action against the perpetrators.
Under the directives of RPO, the police reached the site, arrested eight people found involved in torturing the tourists and journalists and sealed the hotel.
Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has taken notice of subjecting to violence journalists and tourists by the owners and workers of a hotel in Murree and ordered for initiation of stern action against them.
