A viral video on TikTok accuses the Punjab government of profiting from a business at a hill station by charging tourists for renting wheelchairs and baby strollers.
The statement is misleading.
Say
On July 4, a social media user posted a one-minute and 35-second video on TikTok. In the video, a man can be heard claiming that the Punjab chief minister is “running a good business” in Murree. He further adds that instead of distributing wheelchairs and baby strollers for free to the elderly and families, the Punjab government was charging Rs 200 per hour for the service.
This post had garnered over 96,800 views, 7,502 likes and 3,254 shares at the time of writing.
On July 8, a Facebook user posted the same video: “Check out this great initiative by Maryam Sharif,” he wrote mockingly. “Wheelchairs at Rs 200 per hour in Murree.”
Made
The wheelchair and stroller service in Murree has been established through a public-private partnership, with no profits going to the provincial government.
Agha Zaheer Abbas Shirazi, the deputy commissioner in Murree, said Verification of geographic data that the Punjab Chief Minister has recently ordered them to ensure that people in the area have access to wheelchairs and baby strollers.
“We have decided to allocate the land to a private company to provide the service,” he added. “They charge Rs 100 per hour, not Rs 200.”
Verification of geographic data He then contacted Abdul Wahab Khan, the deputy commissioner in Murree, who corroborated what Shirazi said, adding that the money earned did not go into the government treasury.
“It was decided that the government will facilitate the provision of the service [wheelchair and stroller] “The service will be managed by the private sector,” he explained. “That is why we have created spaces for the service and we also regulate its prices.”
He added that the wheelchair and baby stroller service has been implemented by Buland Heights Hotel, a private hotel in Murree, which charges Rs 100 per hour from users.
Besides, Verification of geographic data She spoke to Ayesha Waqar, Human Resources Manager at Buland Heights Hotel, who also confirmed that the government had provided them with a space to provide a wheelchair and stroller service.
The Punjab Chief Minister's Office confirmed the same: “To make the model sustainable, the private sector and the hotel association have been brought on board,” said an official in the Chief Minister's Office, who asked not to be named.
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