Railways deficit to swell to Rs45bn

The deficit of the Pakistan Railways (PR) has risen to Rs45 billion as the state entity continues to suffer losses amid dwindling revenues and ballooning pension bills – a great chunk of which remains unpaid.

Sources said the employees from grade-1 to grade-9 have not yet received their salaries for the current month and are facing severe difficulties due to non-receipt of their pay.

Furthermore, class-IV employees of the loco shed, washing lines and open line have also not received their monthly salary.

“Employees are growing increasingly tired of having to become a shuttlecock between the Railways Accounts Department and banks,” sources revealed and added that the PR's revenues are also drying up due to which train operations are also facing issues on a daily basis.

It is estimated that more than 150,000 Railway pensioners from across the country have not been able to receive their payments yet and several serving employees still have not been given their general provident (GP) fund for months.

Retired officers and employees of Railways belonging to eight divisions across the country – from Grade 1 to 21 – are facing severe difficulties due to non-receipt of pension money.

On Monday, Adviser to Federal Ombudsman Regional Office Karachi Haroon Ahmed Khan directed PR officials to resolve complaints of retired employees regarding the delay in issuance of pensions at the earliest.

During the visit to Karachi Cantt Railway Station, the adviser also called for more arrangements of drinking water for passengers and sanitation on platforms, waiting halls, reservation centres and other facilities.

The adviser along with the regional office’s focal person for media Taqi Muhammad Soomro and other officials inspected waiting rooms, platforms, help desk, water filtration plants and coolers, railway police help centre, first aid centre and reservation counters to review facilities and services being provided to passengers

Earlier this month, it was reported that the Pakistan Railways was preparing to inspect prototype models of the state-of-the-art passenger coaches and high-capacity freight wagons it wants to procure from a leading Chinese company.

Several junior and senior officials were to travel to China soon to inspect the models and take part in training being organised by the Chinese firm as a part of two different contracts to transfer technology of manufacturing modern coaches in Pakistan.

Around 93 officers and employees of the department were said to be entrusted with the task to inspect 230 bogies worth $149 million being imported from the friendly neighbouring country.