Islamabad, Sep 2: After a four-year delay, the district government has revealed plans to build a new tourism attraction in Kotli Sattian, a hill village in the recently created district of Murree, in April 2025. By the next year, the tourist attraction should be up and running. The installation of a chairlift cable car system that would cross the rough, black mountains and deep forests has been approved.
For the purpose of creating a feasibility report on the chairlift cable car system, an initial investment of Rs1 million has been approved; further funds may be made available in response to bids received during the tender process. International businesses may take part in the feasibility study, according to officials.
It is expected that the opening of this hill resort in Kotli Sattian will give the locals in this impoverished tehsil work opportunities. There are also plans to build new eateries, retail stores, motels, and hotels along the 123-kilometer tourism corridor.
Kotli Sattian’s Chewra village will host the installation of the chairlift cable car system. With a telescope, you can see the Mangla Dam, the Jhelum district, and the border regions of Azad Kashmir and Occupied Kashmir from these mountains, which are higher than those in Murree.
The PTI-led Buzdar government initiated the project in the beginning, with strong backing from Asif Mahmood, the PHA Chairman at the time and advisor on tourism. But once the PTI government was out from power, the project stagnated.
A large portion of the project’s infrastructure, including paved roads and established trails, is already in place, according to project officials. Families and young people have already started camping in the area because the roads are clear.
The District Murree administration and the Department of Tourism are working together to get this new tourist attraction up for business early in 2019. The idea is to have a fair in honor of the occasion, and the project’s launch is anticipated to be attended by the Punjab Chief Minister or the Prime Minister.
