LAHORE, Aug 1: Talks between the representatives of station masters and a Pakistan Railways committee concluded here on Tuesday. Station masters’ representatives Chaudhry Muhammad Din and Manzoor Ali told newsmen after the meeting that the talks remained inconclusive.

Sources said the committee members listened to the grievances of the representatives and assured them the same would be forwarded to the high-ups for redressal.

Mr Din and Mr Ali said the railway authorities had been ignoring them and making false promises.

“We have given the PR high-up a month’s deadline after which we’ll adopt peaceful means to press the authorities to accept our demands,” they said.

Minister of State for Railways Ali Asjad Malhi had on July 20 constituted the committee comprising Additional General Manager (Freight) Ali Arif, Chief Operating Superintendent Maqsood Ahmad Khan and Chief Personnel Officer Javaid Mabarik. The committee was asked to hold talks with the station masters who had on July 19 cut off contact with the central control officer for around five hours.

All station masters of railways’ Lahore, Karachi, Sukkur and Multan divisions had stopped passing on information to the headquarters regarding trains’ arrival and departure in their jurisdiction after midnight till 5am. They said that they were ignored again though they were also part of the railways staff related to trains’ operations.

The railway authorities had last month upgraded 11 posts of its employees, including drivers, guards, assistant station masters and signal maintainers, but ignored station masters, Mr Din told newsmen.

The posts of drivers, guards grade-II, assistant station masters (grade-I and reliving), signal maintainers have been upgraded by one pay scale, assistant drivers, guards grade-III and station masters group trainee by two while assistant drivers by three pay scales.