News Paper: Business Recorder
KARACHI (July 21 2010): Almost 400 more locomotives are needed to normalise the railway operation, which is mostly disturbed for frequent failure of engines and other technical faults. Pakistan Railways (PR) would import spare parts from China to repair almost 29 engines, which after the maintenance works would come on the tracks by the end of next month.
This was said by Ghulam Ahmed Bilour, Federal Minster for Railways while addressing a press conference here at City Station, Divisional Railway Headquarters, on Tuesday. The minister said 75 engines from China would be available here by next few years as the issue was objected by Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA).
However, this time Chinese have been told to supply better engines with removal of all previous defects. He pointed out that for supply of 75 Chinese engines an LC was opened in 2005 but it did not materialise till 2010 because of bureaucratic hurdles. He said if these engines had been supplied by 2008, our deficit would have reduced by 50 percent.
Talking about the losses in railways the minister said that the railway was faced with a deficit of Rs 90 billion which is continuously growing. The government was needed to take serious notice of the situation as even no private company was ready to bear the government body with over Rs 7 billion and Rs 14 billion in terms of pension and salaries respectively. No up gradation of the existing railway tracks was made since it was installed in 1861 by the British Government, the minister said.
Though, billions of rupees were spent on buying land for motorway from Lahore to Islamabad and from Islamabad to Peshawar, the minister said, if the same amount had been spent on upgrading the railway track, the government would not have to purchase land and the railway could have operated trains at 200 km per hour speed. "We want to make the railway stand on its own feet, but it needs resources", he said adding that he has sought a meeting with the Prime Minister to make a presentation on the current state of the railways.
Reply to query about the recent closure of six trains, he said it was part of rationalisation of railway's operational plan it would result in the availability of 17-18 locomotives which would be used for freight operation. The Federal Minister said that today railway is lifting only 10 percent of port cargo while rest is being carried by the other agencies. He referred to procurement of locomotives from China and said that although it were not of the standard of US-made locomotives, but these were purchased because of cost difference as a Chinese locomotive was being supplied for 102 million rupees and an American engine for 227 million rupees.
Replying a question Bilour said that question is not of corruption but resources and investment. He said no doubt corruption is there and our all out effort is to reduce it. He said that if the Railway gets 400 new locomotives, its deficit will be totally eliminated. He said the railway also needs 60-70 power vans without which how the trains can be run.
When asked that if the railway is not properly functioning then he should resign, the Minister said that he has been made Minister by his party and will resign when asked by the party. General Manager (Operation) Ashfaq Khattak and Divisional Superintendent Aftab Memon were also present on the occasion.
-www.brecorder.com
This was said by Ghulam Ahmed Bilour, Federal Minster for Railways while addressing a press conference here at City Station, Divisional Railway Headquarters, on Tuesday. The minister said 75 engines from China would be available here by next few years as the issue was objected by Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA).
However, this time Chinese have been told to supply better engines with removal of all previous defects. He pointed out that for supply of 75 Chinese engines an LC was opened in 2005 but it did not materialise till 2010 because of bureaucratic hurdles. He said if these engines had been supplied by 2008, our deficit would have reduced by 50 percent.
Talking about the losses in railways the minister said that the railway was faced with a deficit of Rs 90 billion which is continuously growing. The government was needed to take serious notice of the situation as even no private company was ready to bear the government body with over Rs 7 billion and Rs 14 billion in terms of pension and salaries respectively. No up gradation of the existing railway tracks was made since it was installed in 1861 by the British Government, the minister said.
Though, billions of rupees were spent on buying land for motorway from Lahore to Islamabad and from Islamabad to Peshawar, the minister said, if the same amount had been spent on upgrading the railway track, the government would not have to purchase land and the railway could have operated trains at 200 km per hour speed. "We want to make the railway stand on its own feet, but it needs resources", he said adding that he has sought a meeting with the Prime Minister to make a presentation on the current state of the railways.
Reply to query about the recent closure of six trains, he said it was part of rationalisation of railway's operational plan it would result in the availability of 17-18 locomotives which would be used for freight operation. The Federal Minister said that today railway is lifting only 10 percent of port cargo while rest is being carried by the other agencies. He referred to procurement of locomotives from China and said that although it were not of the standard of US-made locomotives, but these were purchased because of cost difference as a Chinese locomotive was being supplied for 102 million rupees and an American engine for 227 million rupees.
Replying a question Bilour said that question is not of corruption but resources and investment. He said no doubt corruption is there and our all out effort is to reduce it. He said that if the Railway gets 400 new locomotives, its deficit will be totally eliminated. He said the railway also needs 60-70 power vans without which how the trains can be run.
When asked that if the railway is not properly functioning then he should resign, the Minister said that he has been made Minister by his party and will resign when asked by the party. General Manager (Operation) Ashfaq Khattak and Divisional Superintendent Aftab Memon were also present on the occasion.
-www.brecorder.com
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