By: Rashid Mughal
The Murree administration failed to provide relief to tourists on food items, which had a significant negative impact on the city’s reputation. According to details, restaurant owners in Murree’s famous food street, Sirooz Gali, and other branded hotels and restaurants on Mall Road, including Bandhu Khan Restaurant, Lantau Cafe, Red Oven, and others, charged tourists and locals exorbitant prices for simple food items. A simple naan bread was sold for Rs. 25-30, and chicken, mutton, and beef karahi were sold at arbitrary prices. The restaurant owners also charged service charges and sales tax, taking advantage of the tourists.
Tourists expressed their concerns and appealed to the Murree administration and the Punjab government to take notice of the situation. A similar situation was reported in Naran and Kaghan, where tourists were charged Rs. 35,000 for a kilogram of chicken karahi, and hotel owners charged Rs. 15,000 to 20,000 for rooms. Tourists were exploited in both Murree and Naran/Kaghan during Eid al-Adha.”
