LAHORE, Jan 19: Bashir Sheikh, managing director of the Pakistan Tourism Promotion Council, on Sunday demanded sacking of those responsible for the Murree chairlift mishap.

He said that a few days ago, many people were stranded when the supply of power to the chairlifts was suspended due to “negligence on the part of workers of the Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation”. The army was able to remove the fault and release the people inside only after many hours.

The government must hold a thorough inquiry into the incident and punish those responsible for it. This, he said, was necessary to restore confidence among tourists in the country.

Mr Sheikh also demanded an inquiry into the making of a documentary film at an exorbitant rate. An actress was paid over Rs10 million for a job that could have been completed in a few hundred thousands and she had already sold parts of the movie in the market at very high rates. The government must hold an inquiry and recover the amount, he demanded.

Similarly, a Disney Land project at Jallo Park, inaugurated by a former prime minister, has been a source of wastage of public money. The project has not taken off but has already consumed huge sums of money somehow. The government must hold an inquiry, fix the responsibility and punish the culprits, he demanded.

He also suggested that the government should bring all organizations under one umbrella to avoid overlapping in their working. This could not only save millions of rupees that are being wasted on duplicate efforts but also help attract more tourists, he added.