Railway workers: Insurance, service structure promised

LAHORE: Federal Minister for Railways Khawaja Saad Rafique has announced that an insurance and service structure would be put in place for the employees of Pakistan Railways by the end of this year. Speaking to the railway workers at the Railways Engine Shed, he said the labourers had been living in shabby houses for a long time, but now a policy had been evolved to build new quarters in place of luxury houses for the officers. He revealed that the audit of railway land had begun and each and every yard would be computerised by year-end. “Pakistan Railways has been facing its worst crisis in the last 67 years; even a minister had advised to close the company altogether, but despite that the railways stood back on its feet and is earning revenues,” he said, adding it earned Rs32 billion by June 2015 and paid Rs6 billion in arrears to the workers. He said Pakistan Railways was a national asset and it would not be handed over to any ‘seth’.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 8^th, 2015.

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