Cabinet committee takes notice of encroachments

F.P. Report

ISLAMABAD: The Cabinet Committee on Institutional Reforms on Friday has shown serious concerns over the encroachment of Pakistan Railways’ land from Karachi to Peshawar.

The meeting was presided over by the Minister for Education, Professional Training, National Heritage and Culture Shafqat Mahmood. The committee also reviewed the progress on Pakistan Railways’ restructuring plan.

Secretary Pakistan Railways Habib-ur-Rehman Gilani briefed the committee on governance reforms, operational reforms, financial reforms, automation reforms and human resource and capacity building in Pakistan Railways.

Shafqat Mahmood noted that people have established their settlement, civic facilities like electricity and natural gas connections have been installed, link roads and streets being developed on Railways land. If the issue was not timely resolved, it may jeopardize the whole ML1 mega project of Pakistan Railways, he added.

The committee suggested the Pakistan Railways to hire the consultants and to set up a separate directorate of Pakistan Railways to deal with the issue of encroachment on priority basis. Out of one hundred and sixty four thousands acres land, almost 8 thousand acres land of PR is encroached.

Defence Minister Pervaiz Khattak advised the Pakistan Railways to resolve the issue of unmanned crossings at various points in the country before the beginning of work on ML1.

The chairperson of the committee has also remarked, by setting a precedence to motorways, the massive transportation Railways was neglected and ruined by the previous regimes.

He also reiterated that the PTI government was determined to turn Pakistan Railways into a profitable entity.

Defence Minister Pervaiz Khattak, SAPM on Petroleum Nadeem Babar, Adviser to PM on Institutional Reforms and Austerity Dr Ishrat Hussain, Secretary Establishment division Mr Ijaz were also present in the meeting.