Friday, May 28, 2010

Proposal for privatisation of Pakistan Railways opposed

By Tahir Rashid

RAWALPINDI: The Senate Standing Committee on Railways has opposed the proposal of privatisation of Pakistan Railways, saying that the department is a national asset which needs government support.

The committee Chairman Maulana Gull Naseeb Khan said this during his visit to the Rawalpindi Railways Hospital and Carriage Factory on Thursday. Selling out national assets is not the resolution of any problem, he added.

He said privatisation of the department would not help it get out of the financial crises it was currently facing. “We have to run the national institution with confidence. It is the responsibility of the government to provide resources for the Pakistan Railways for covering up losses, as well as its smooth functioning,” the chairman added.

During the visit to the Carriage Factory, Managing Director (MD) Jalal Khan told the committee members that the factory had to prepare 150 coaches every year and 6,000 coaches in a span of 40 years, but it had failed to achieve the target. The main reasons behind this were the lack of funds and staff deficiency, he added.

“The funds allocated for the factory were axed. It requires around 3,000 employees to complete the task, but at present only 2,300 workers are employed in the factory, which was the reason for failure in achieving production goals”, the MD added.

During the visit to the hospital, the hospital Administrator Dr Umer Awaab Khan informed the committee that when the hospital was running under Pakistan Railways alone, it was at the brink of closing down permanently. However, after the joint venture of public-private partnership now, it had been turned into a state of the art hospital equipped with the latest equipment, modern laboratories and specialised doctors.

Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk

Back to Top