Petrol crisis not affecting railways operations: minister
Says Pakistan Railways has fuel stock enough to last 17 days
Says Pakistan Railways has fuel stock enough to last 17 days. PHOTO: PPI
ISLAMABAD:
Federal Minister for Railways Khawaja Saad Rafiq has assured that Pakistan Railways is not affected by the ongoing petrol crisis in the country, claiming it has 17 days oil stock to run the trains without any problem.
He was talking to the media at the Supreme Court premises on Wednesday after appearing in the case of Royal Palm Club on railways land in Lahore.
Saad Rafiq pointed out that when he took over the charge of the railway ministry there was a facility of keeping oil reserves only for a day but he enhanced the size of the inventory first to 14 days and then to 17 days.
He said the railways have made arrangements to transport 5,000 tonnes of furnace oil from Karachi to its depot Sher Shah Mehmood Kot in Multan.
The Royal Palm Golf and Country Club contract, the minister insisted, was a corrupt deal cut with the connivance of the railways officials. The issue of Royal Palm Club is not one of profit or loss but how the contract was awarded, he added.
Meanwhile, during the hearing of the constitutional petition of Ishaq Khan Khakwani, former railways minister, against the award of the contract of Royal Palm Golf and Country Club to Maxcorp Husnain (Pakistan) Limited in 2001, Pakistan railways has rejected the Golf Club management’s 50% share offer in the club’s profit.
The ministry’s counsel Gul Hassan Aurangzeb has rejected the offer. He, however, admitted that contract lease was not transparent.
Upon this, the three-member bench, headed by justice Mian Saqib Nisar, directed the Pakistan Railways to file counter offer in this matter.
The court expressed wonder why the government was shying away from terminating the lease contract and observed that the railways have the authority to take over the property.
The bench asked the Pakistan Railways and Khakwani to submit their response to the Golf Club management’s offer. The hearing of the case is adjourned until February 11.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 22nd, 2015.
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Federal Minister for Railways Khawaja Saad Rafiq has assured that Pakistan Railways is not affected by the ongoing petrol crisis in the country, claiming it has 17 days oil stock to run the trains without any problem.
He was talking to the media at the Supreme Court premises on Wednesday after appearing in the case of Royal Palm Club on railways land in Lahore.
Saad Rafiq pointed out that when he took over the charge of the railway ministry there was a facility of keeping oil reserves only for a day but he enhanced the size of the inventory first to 14 days and then to 17 days.
He said the railways have made arrangements to transport 5,000 tonnes of furnace oil from Karachi to its depot Sher Shah Mehmood Kot in Multan.
The Royal Palm Golf and Country Club contract, the minister insisted, was a corrupt deal cut with the connivance of the railways officials. The issue of Royal Palm Club is not one of profit or loss but how the contract was awarded, he added.
Meanwhile, during the hearing of the constitutional petition of Ishaq Khan Khakwani, former railways minister, against the award of the contract of Royal Palm Golf and Country Club to Maxcorp Husnain (Pakistan) Limited in 2001, Pakistan railways has rejected the Golf Club management’s 50% share offer in the club’s profit.
The ministry’s counsel Gul Hassan Aurangzeb has rejected the offer. He, however, admitted that contract lease was not transparent.
Upon this, the three-member bench, headed by justice Mian Saqib Nisar, directed the Pakistan Railways to file counter offer in this matter.
The court expressed wonder why the government was shying away from terminating the lease contract and observed that the railways have the authority to take over the property.
The bench asked the Pakistan Railways and Khakwani to submit their response to the Golf Club management’s offer. The hearing of the case is adjourned until February 11.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 22nd, 2015.
Poll
[poll id="1408"]