Swati for vacating railways’ encroached land at earliest

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Railways Azam Khan Swati Monday directed all the Divisional Superintendents (DS) to make all-out efforts to vacate department’s land across the country from the land grabbers.

Presiding over an online meeting, the minister said that the divisional heads could get the police assistance to retrieve the illegally occupied land, if needed.

Among others, the meeting was attend by Secretary/Chairman Railways Habib-ur-Rehman Gilani, Additional Secretary Arif Nawaz Baloch, Member Finance Barkat Memon, Director General Coordination Brig (R) Amjad Ali, Director General Technical Abdul Maalik, Chief Executive Officer Nisar Memon, all Divisional Superintendents and senior officers of the Ministry.

Azam Swati also extended Eid greetings to the meeting participants.

He directed all the officers to conduct a photographic survey of the Staff Colony of Railways and submit it within ten days, so that the occupied land of the department could also be vacated. The minister thanked Secretary Railways and the entire team for their guidance and assistance as he was unaware about the Pakistan Railways matters.

He also lauded DS Karachi and expressed confidence that this segment of the railways would be made divisional a business hub.

He also directed Managing Director Railway Constructions Pakistan Limited (Railcop) and Managing Director Redemco to constitute a board so that all possible steps should be taken to get Pakistan Railways out of deficit.

The minister instructed the CEO for submitting complete a detail report of ghost employees in the department so that strict action could be taken against them. In addition, a report about officers working in grade 19 to 21 should also be submitted.

The minister said in order to increase the revenue of Pakistan Railways, some trains would be operated under public-private partnership to increase the revenue of the department.

He said around 18,000 containers arrived at Chaman city in a month, out of which 75 percent transportation was carried through trucks.

Regarding the Karachi Circular Railway (KCR), the minister said that all the bridges of KCR have been handed over to Frontier Works Organization (FWO) for repair.

“We are also planning to outsource all the hospitals and schools of Pakistan Railways that will increase the revenue of Pakistan Railways,” the minister added.