Railways Minister Sheikh Rasheed announced on Thursday that he will improve railways and reduce its debt by December 30. Speaking to the media at the Rawalpindi Railway Station, Rasheed vowed, “The task given to me by Prime Minister Imran Khan regarding railways will be completed.” “I promise I will keep a check on railways even if I have to disguise and conduct raids,” the railways minister said. About the facilities that will be provided on the trains, Rasheed said, “Wi-Fi will be provided as well as functional fans and lights.” “Right now, we will focus on making the best use of the money we have,” he said while adding that they will try to reduce ticket prices rather than increasing them. Most of the trains are old and we need to upgrade them, he further said. Further, the railways minister claimed, “We will erase the Rs42 million deficit of railways and will make gauges from Quetta to Taftan by December 30.” He added, “I have zero tolerance for corruption.” Moreover, the railways minister is expected to meet PM Imran for a high-level meeting today. Last week, he had announced that a new tax worth Rs1-10, varying according to different ticket prices, would be added to the price of train tickets as the Ministry of Railways’ contribution towards the dam fund. Published in Daily Times, September 14th 2018.