LARKANA: Rural areas of Sindh face crisis over the shortage of railway services as few trains which are still functional have no stops at the major railway stations due to which many stations established in the past stand ruined.
Most of these stations have turned into cattle farms which are occupied by the residents of nearby villages due to alleged ignorance of Pakistan Railways.
Even old stations like Bux Jatoi Railway Station, which is just located 20 km away from Larkana, Sindh seems deserted as no train had stopped since the past eight years.
Many of tracks have been destroyed over the years due negligence of railways authorities. On the other hand, the railway crossing is also always opened which could lead to any brutal mishap.
Hasan Shah, a local resident, told Daily Times that nearly 15,000 people who live in the surrounding 20 villages have been deprived of train services over last last eight years.
He added that all trains including Qalandar Express, Bolan Mail, Khushal Khan Khattak Express etc were making a stop here in the past but recently not even newly introduced Mohenjo Daro express makes stop in surrounding area which has got the villagers worried.
Most of the residents are farmers in the area who need a proper way to transport their goods but as there is no train service currently, they are forced to use road transport which is insecure due to rush and frequent accidents, Shah further stated.
Moreover, the locals have demanded Federal Minister of Railways Sheikh Rashid Ahmed immediately to make arrangements for the stations to made functional again so that they have access to the train facility.