Daily Times

Railways Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed says economic condition of Pakistan Railways will be improved within 120 days, through effective and concrete measures.

He was talking to newsmen at Lahore Railway Station after chairing a session at Railway Headquarters and visiting its various parts. Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed also said that promotion will be on merit, out of turn promotion will not be tolerated and action will be taken against such officers.

Moreover, he said “our sole aim is to make the department independent within 120 days and for this purpose, officers will have to give overtime for further development”. He said that railways’ deficit would be brought to nil by the end of current year.

He further said that he had accepted the challenge to rehabilitate railways under the vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan and improvement in the freight would be his target. He said that workers of the railways would be facilitated and 20,000 studio apartments would be constructed for railway employees.

The minister informed that three elevators for disabled and old age citizens would be installed at the Lahore Railway Station and more elevators would be installed at big railway stations across the country.

“I have asked the administration to purchase elevators, even used ones on the guarantee of 10 years,” he added.

He said that media and advertising companies would be invited to use prominent places at the station for publicity and branding to generate more revenue. He said that online ticketing system would be improved in days to come.

Sheikh Rasheed said that all those officers would be demoted who had got promotion illegally.

“Love with railways means love with Pakistan,” the minister said.

The Railways minister said that he had suggested to shift the railways on standard gauge from broad gauge under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor projects and railways would be linked with Iran and Turkey.

Published in Daily Times, August 27^th 2018.