LAHORE: The Pakistan Railways on Sunday rejected rumours about its downfall or corruption in the procurement of any product including locomotives.
The spokesperson said that it seems to be part of a disinformation campaign about the progressing organisation, which is growing well and now in the position of earning a profit. “Such type of rumours shatter the public confidence and discourage dedicated management, which is striving to change the destiny of an ailing organisation,” he added.
The incumbent administration took the charge of the Pakistan Railways at the close of the financial year 2012-13, when its operational and financial health was at the worst, he said, adding that the dedicated team of the Railway officers and officials, under the leadership of Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique, ascertained the causes of ailment of the organisation and then worked day and night to put it on the right track.
During the current tenure, he said that the earning of the Pakistan Railways jumped from Rs18.078 billion to Rs50 billion and the deficit was reduced to Rs35 billion despite an increase in its operations across the country. About 14 million more passengers were attracted annually due to efforts of the railways administration.
The punctuality of trains arrival and departure time had much improved now, the spokesperson said. He said that the Pakistan Railways had now fuel reserves of about 15 days and new locomotives/coaches had been added to the system to enhance its operational capacities.
About 20 railway station, which are very old and have outlived their life are being demolished to construct state-of-the-art buildings with modern facilities, he added. He said that the e-ticketing had been introduced in railways to further facilitate passengers, while railways passengers were insured and they would get its benefits in case of any untoward incident.
He said that all purchasing in the railways including locomotives had been made transparently, according to the law by following the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) rules and copies of the purchase documents had also been sent to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).
