Railways asks FIA to hold inquiry

Saad Rafique says warranty claimed from manufacturer to replace engines

ISLAMABAD: In an apparent demonstration of its lack of confidence in the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Railways Ministry has written to the Interior Ministry requesting it to have the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) probe the procurement of 58 completely built locomotives, some of which had developed cracks.

“We have reservations over the investigation of National Accountability Bureau (NAB) because many cases of the department have been pending before them for years, which is why new cases have been referred to the FIA,” Minister for Railways Khwaja Saad Rafique told the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Railways at the Parliament House on Friday.

According to the February 11 letter, the FIA have been asked to investigate suspected negligence in procurement of these locomotives.

Rafique told the committee that inspections on February 5, 2016, had revealed cracks in the under-frames of 16 locomotives which had been imported from China.

These locomotives were part of a batch of 29 diesel electric engines of 2,000 horsepower and had been purchased from CSR Ziyang in China. A second batch of 29 locomotives (of 3,000 horsepower) did not reveal any cracks upon inspection.

The minister explained that the cracks were caused by faults in the manufacturer’s design which they had already taken up with CSR Ziyang to claim replacement warranty on all the 29 engines. He added that technical experts and engineers from CSR Ziyang and M/S Caterpillar, USA, were maintaining and supervising these locomotives.

“Railways are establishing a design wing within its mechanical department to overcome such issues in future,” Rafique explained.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 20^th,  2016.