A severe snowfall warning was issued a few days before the death toll of 22 died in Murree.
According to the report, no prior meeting was convened by NDMA with other departments and district administration of Rawalpindi, Islamabad to discuss traffic and housing issues in the hilly area.
The Meteorological Department had issued an alert on January 5 that roads in Murree, Galyat, Nathiagli, Kagan, Naran and other areas could be closed from January 6 to January 9 due to heavy snowfall.
The Meteorological Department had said that "all concerned authorities are advised to remain 'alert' especially during the forecast period."
Murree received 6.5 inches of snow on January 5 (Wednesday), followed by 8.5 inches the next day and 16.5 inches from the morning of January 7 (Friday) to Saturday morning.
This is normal snowfall for Murree, a Meteorological Department official said.
These alerts and information are sent directly to a large number of government departments by the Meteorological Department in addition to posting on the website.
However, immediately after the Meteorological Department's alert, the administration of Murree Tehsil issued a travel advisory on January 5, advising tourists to get the latest weather information and traffic information before heading to the hill station.
As Murree is a tehsil of Rawalpindi district, the deputy commissioner did not convene any emergency meeting to review the ground realities.
Read more: Heavy snowfall, at least 16 deaths due to suffocation in Murree
However, Rawalpindi Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Ali had said on social media that a large number of traffic wardens have been deployed under the supervision of inspectors at all important places to facilitate tourists and manage the flow of traffic.
When asked why the entry of tourists at Toll Plaza was not stopped after Bhara Kahu, he said that all the entry points of Murree Tehsil were closed after 6 pm on Friday but this created another chaos. It was born because people were coming from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab.
On the other hand, during the NDMA's meetings with the district administrations of Rawalpindi and Islamabad, only urban flooding in the twin cities was discussed.
In this regard, a senior Punjab government official said that the NDMA may not have been able to assess the devastation in Murree.
While relief and rescue efforts were underway for the safe evacuation of the stranded people in Murree, the NDMA collaborated with the concerned agencies including Army, Rescue 1122, District Administration of Rawalpindi and Police Department.
Talking to electronic media, NDMA Chairman Lt. Gen. Akhtar Nawaz said that with the help of district administration, all commercial places including restaurants were directed to make arrangements for accommodation of additional people, even locals. It was said that stranded tourists should stay as far as possible.
After which many local hotels offered help and one hotel announced to provide free food to the stranded tourists.
