Minister orders schools and businesses along tracks shut by 30th

Sheikh Rashid says parents of children playing along the line will be taken into custody

LAHORE: Federal Minister for Railways Sheikh Rashid on Saturday ordered an immediate closure of all schools and small business units along the 1,700km-long tracks between Lahore and Karachi.

“There is lot of nuisance on railway tracks… people and children don’t know the consequences,” the minister said at a press conference in Lahore.

“I have ordered the relevant authorities to close down all schools and businesses along this track by October 30,” he said, adding that the parents of the children playing on or near the tracks would be taken into custody.



The announcement comes in the wake of an incident in Islamabad on Friday where three children, including two brothers, were crushed to death by a speeding train.

The minister, meanwhile, announced reduction in economy class fares by 30 per cent and declared Green Line Express, Karachi Express and Tezgam Express as topline train services which would be provided WiFi and catering services. The facilities would be extended to other trains at a later stage, he said.

He announced that 100 coaches would be repaired every month in the railways factories. The total number of idle coaches currently stood at 672, he said.

Speaking about the current status of employees, Rashid said that a summary had been sent to the prime minister for regularising 8,000 contract employees of the ministry. Not a single person would be appointed without merit, he added.

He alleged that the former railways minister purchased engines worth Rs220 million per unit at a total cost of Rs420 million, adding that he was planning to carry out an audit of the matter.



Sharing the ministry’s performance with the media, the minister said that the railways revenue increased by Rs1 billion in first 50 days of the newly-elected government. “Next year, we will earn Rs10 billion by focusing on passenger and freight trains,” he said, adding that in order to meet this target, a task force of nine railway officers had been formed.

The task force, he added, would look into how the ministry can increase the number of freight trains and revenue generation through different dry ports.

He said that tracking system would be installed in all locomotives to be able to keep a check on the couriers and gauge fuel consumption of different trains.

“All divisional headquarters will be inter-connected through WiFi,” he said.