LAHORE, Jan 17: The Pakistan Railways says the closing down of sections running in loss is an old government policy being implemented since 1991.
In a reply to a legal notice by advocate M D Tahir, it said the railways could not operate trains as a social service because financial resources were draining and the government could not always subsidize unprofitable services.
Citing the example of the closure of the Malikwal-Bhera section in November last year, which the lawyer had particularly mentioned in the legal notice, the railways reply said that the decision was taken because one train service earned only Rs5,755 from about 950 passengers who used to travel by the train.
As against that the PR was spending much more than the revenue income as it had to bear the cost of operational expenditures, including fuel, the running and auxiliary staff, electricity and the maintenance of the rolling stock and the track.
The PR reply refuted the advocates's charges that the train service on the section covering Lahore, Narowal, Shakargarh and Shorkot via Sheikhupura, Faisalabad and Toba Tek Singh, had been closed down. It said that three trains were being operated on this section every day.
PLEA SUBMITTED: Advocate A.K.Dogar on Monday submitted an application to the Supreme Court requesting that his petition which challenged President Gen Pervez Musharraf retaining the office of the army chief along with the presidency, be heard on Jan 24.
The petition was filed on Jan 10 this year contending that the president was stepping beyond the SC mandate which validated the military take-over with certain conditions.
