LAHORE, Sept 25: Railway authorities claim that they did warn officials of the Punjab highway department and the Mandi Bahauddin district council about the possibility of any eventuality at Malikwal level crossing a couple of months ago but they did not pay heed to it.

A railway spokesman told reporters here on Thursday that the institution had written to the two departments in May, 2003, demanding the payment of Rs1.1 million for introducing a manned level crossing at the site where the train-bus collision claimed over two dozen lives on Saturday last.

The PR had earlier been paid Rs1.9 million in two instalments — one in June 1992 and the other in March 1994, whereas as the total cost of the project was around Rs3 million.

“This is essential to avoid any accident and probable loss of human life,” says the letter written to officials of the two department while seeking release of the remaining amount.

“Please note that in case of non-depositing of the outstanding dues, the concerned department will be responsible for any mishap at this unmanned level crossing. The railway administration will not share any responsibility in this regard whatsoever,” it further warned.

Quoting rules of building level crossings, the spokesman said if a road is built after the laying of rails, the department constructing the road bears the expenses incurred on the level crossing and pays five-year salaries of three-man staff in advance.

But in case a road is built first, the railways is responsible for building a level crossing and incurring all other expenses.

In case of Malikwal, the provincial highway department and the district council had constructed the road and were responsible for incurring all expenses for a manned level crossing there, he argued.

He said the PR had sent 31 reminders to the two departments between June 1996 and August 2003, inviting their attention towards the issue but to no avail.

He said the railway had closed road to traffic by building a wall on both sides of the track to avoid any mishap in March 2000 after running an advertisement in national newspapers. But the assistant commissioner concerned demolished the wall probably on the pressure of the area people, he concluded.