PR to install CCTV cameras, scanners at railway terminals

The Pakistan Railways will install CCTV cameras, walkthrough gates and scanner at major railway terminals including Rawalpindi to improve safety standards. Talking to APP, Railways Minister Haji Ghulam Ahmed Bilour said, “The government was making all-out efforts to improve law and order and the CCTV cameras will help railway security personnel in monitoring the movements of suspicious people, especially terrorists.” The cameras would be connected to a computer room at the railway station that would also help the authorities take action against violators of the ban on smoking. About the future plan of Pakistan Railways, the minister said around 275 new locomotives would be added in fleet shortly in order to improve its efficiency. “Procurement of 225 new locomotives is in progress, while a new project for purchase of 50 additional engines will be launched in July this year,” he said.
Bilour said around 45 new passenger coaches and five power plants electric generator plants had been put in operation and 152 new coaches were in the pipeline, which would help improve the Railways efficiency. He said that container service for Prem Nagar Dry Port was running successfully, while the service had recently been started at Faisalabad Dry Port.
Around 27 used locomotives were being overhauled which would render further 15 years of quality performance. “Special repairs of 150 locomotives presently in operation will be carried out from July 2012 to improve reliability and performance.”
The project for doubling of track between Lodhran and Lahore will be completed by December 2012 and would reduce travel time substantially, the minister added.
He said around eight temporarily suspended train services had already been restored and two passenger trains (Shalimar and Business Express Train) were running between Lahore and Karachi in collaboration with joint venture partners. All reliable locomotives are being sued only for passenger operations in order to improve punctuality and performance. The freight operations service has been restarted with more dedication and it will be stepped up with induction of additional locomotives after repairs, he said, adding, “Emergency plan to repair defective locomotive is in place and work is being executed on war footing.”
The government has allocated an amount of Rs 23 billion in budget 2012-13 for rehabilitation and upgrading infrastructure and acquisition of rolling stock in order to improve service delivery for the convenience of the traveling public.
He said that execution of two projects would start from July 2012 for doubling of track between Lahore Faisalabad and Lahore Lalamusa.
The railways minister said the bidding is in progress through Infrastructure Project Development Facility (IPDF) to allow the private sector to operate freight trains under the Track Access Regime. He said installation of new signaling system is in progress to speed up trains and improve safety standards. Replying to a question, he said that International Cargo Service is in operation up to Istanbul via Iran through ECO train.
Punctuality of the intercity passenger service between Rawalpindi-Lahore and Lahore-Faisalabad trains is monitored regularly to ensure passenger convenience, he said. “Around 2,150 acres of railways land worth more than Rs 2 billion under illegal encroachment has been got vacated from illegal occupants,” he maintained.
EOBI provides Rs7.962b benefit to workers: The Employees Old Age Benefits Institutions (EOBI) has provided Rs7.962 billion to 0.351 million during last nine months to ensure monetary benefits for workers.
This disbursement is 17.8 per cent higher as compared to the corresponding period of last year, an official at EOBI said on Sunday. He said as per plan 0.332 more beneficiaries would take benefit from the EOBI’s programmes till June this year as an additional amount of Rs 3.792 billion is allocated for these beneficiaries. The official said EOBI provides monetary benefits to old age workers through various programmes such as old age pension, invalidity pension, survivors pension and old age grants.
He said the other programme of the government is Workers Welfare Fund (WWF) which is also providing assistance to poor labourers all over the country. It provides funds for housing facilities for industrial workers and for other welfare programmes such as the marriage grant, death grant and scholarships etc. He said during the period mentioned above Rs 77.021 million in expenditures has been incurred for scholarships. There are 1,456 beneficiaries of this programme, who are children of poor workers.
The official said another Rs 636.930 million have been disbursed as Marriage Grants from which 9,138 families of the workers benefited.
He said WWF has also disbursed Rs 341.2 million for Death Grants for 1,079 cases of mishaps of workers all over the country while Rs 2.54 billion expenditures have been incurred during during last ten months for 46 housing schemes which are benefiting 15,000 families of workers.