ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly Standing Committee on Pakistan Railways (PR) was informed that the Ministry of Finance has revised down the Public Sector Development Programe (PSDP) for the fiscal year 2024-25 from Rs45 billion to Rs35 billion.
The committeee meeting was held here under the chairmanship of Rai Hassan Nawaz Khan to scrutinise the budgetary proposals relating to PSDP of the Ministry of Railways and its attached departments for the financial year 2025-26.
The secretary Ministry of Railways apprised the committee that the ministry demanded 65 billion from the PSDP last year, however, the Finance Division first earmarked Rs45 billion which later was reduced to Rs35 billion. The secretary said that for the next financial year 2025-26, the ministry has proposed Rs75 billion under PSDP and the budgetary proposals would be adjusted according to the Indicative Budget Ceiling (IBC) fixed by the Finance Division.
Thereafter, the secretary Railway Board briefed the committee that the ministry has proposed 58 per cent for the infrastructure sector, 30 per cent for the rolling stock, and one per cent for each governance and business development sector for ongoing schemes, whereas, eight per cent for infrastructure and two per cent for rolling stock for the new schemes in the budgetary proposals for the financial year 2025-26.
The committee observed that details of the status of the ongoing projects have not been given by the ministry. So, the committee recommended giving a briefing on the status of the ongoing mega projects in the next meeting. However, the committee approved the budgetary proposals of the Ministry of Railways and its attached departments regarding the PSDP with the directions that priority would be given to projects regarding the repairing of tracks and security. The committee also recommended that the Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives issue the approved funds of the Ministry of Railways regarding the rehabilitation of the poor tracks on a priority basis.
The secretary Ministry of Railways informed the committee that there was a shortage of funds for making boundary walls and security of the Railway stations. The committee advised the Ministry of Railways to approach the provincial governments for the building of the boundary walls in the major Railway stations in their respective provinces. The secretary also informed the committee that the district governments and security forces did not cooperate with the officers/officials of Pakistan Railways during the anti-encroachment operations and that there also existed issues relating to the transfer of Railway lands from provinces to the Ministry of Railways. The committee decided to call up the provincial chief secretaries and the provincial Inspector Generals of Police in the next meeting to resolve those issues.
The Secretary Railways informed the committee that 100 passenger trains and about 10 freight trains were operating on a daily basis and wagons of international standard were being developed in Islamabad Carriage Factory by complete transfer of technology from China. The committee decided to visit the Islamabad Carriage Factory in the near future.
The committee asked about the recruitment of 500 posts in the Pakistan Railway Police and expressed satisfaction over the statement of the Inspector General, Pakistan Railway Police that the recruitment would be made on merit, provincial quota, women quota and minority quota would be observed. The committee directed for submission of report before the committee on completion of the recruitment process. The committee also recommended to the secretary Ministry of Railways to raise the pay scales/grades/ranks of the Constable, Head Constable and ASI to 7, 9 and 11 respectively to make them equivalent to ranks of provincial police forces. That raise in rank would boost the morale of the police officers, which would, in turn, contribute to ensuring the security of the Railway passengers. The Committee expressed satisfaction that the current faulty security equipment is being repaired/replaced by the ministry in coordination with the Pakistan Railway Police.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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