LAHORE: The National Engineering Services Pakistan (Nespak) will upgrade and modernise 14 railway stations in two years with an estimated cost of Rs500 million.

The land adjacent to railway stations will be developed for commercial purposes under an agreement signed between Nespak and the Pakistan Railways (PR) at railways headquarters here on Saturday.

Under the first phase of the agreement, Karachi’s City and Cantt, Peshawar, Quetta, Raiwind, Hasanabdal, Narowal, Nankana Sahib, Gujranwala’s City and Cantt, Okara, Sahiwal, Rawalpindi, Bahawalpur and either Nawabshah or Hyderabad stations will be upgraded.

Better facilities for passengers will be made available at Karachi Drig, Rohri, Rahim Yar Khan, Faisalabad, Nowshera, Sargodha and Sibbi stations.

“Construction of parks, restaurants and recreation spots for children along the stations will not only increase PR revenue but also give a new look to the cities concerned. It will also create employment opportunities for many,” Minister for Railways Khwaja Saad Rafique told newsmen after the pact signing ceremony. He expressed the optimism that e-ticketing system would be operational all over the railways network by the year-end.

Regarding dilapidated condition of certain PR colonies, the minister said a sum of Rs300 million had been allocated to ensure provision of better residential facilities to railway workers.

New servant quarters would also be constructed, he said while adding that the PR workers had been unhappy over utilisation of the five per cent deduction from their salary under renovation and rehabilitation of residences head.

He said a proposal was under consideration to increase by 25 per cent the wages of PR police officials in the forthcoming annual fiscal plan.

“Within the next three to four years, the PR police personnel will be getting salary equivalent to that of the district police,” he said.

Published in Dawn, April 19th, 2015

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