LAHORE: National Assembly Standing Committee on Railways on Tuesday reprimanded the senior officials for ‘doing nothing’ for launching the strategically important Main Line-1 (ML-1) project under China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and controlling train accidents occurring frequently in Sukkur division in particular and the rail network across the country in general.

“According to our analysis, the Pakistan Railways’ performance is absolutely unsatisfactory. It is just zero in last three years,” NA committee chairman Moeen Wattoo reprimanded the officials at a meeting held here at railways headquarters.

“For the last eight years, we have been hearing about the launch of ML-1 project worth billions of dollars. And you have just made its PC-1 which is lying with the planning commission. It is so sad,” the chairman said.

Members angry at train accidents, delay in ML-1 project

The committee members, while expressing dissatisfaction over the official briefing on other issues, questioned performance of the department over accidents. They wondered over two major accidents, including one that claimed 69 lives in June this year near Ghotki. They also expressed annoyance over the justification of the PR officers on the issue of accidents and actions taken by the department. They said why the department continued punishing lower-grade officers instead of the departmental heads.

“We were of the view that why did the PR not remove the grade-20 divisional superintendent (Sukkur) and other senior officials for negligence that led to a major accident in June. We also directed the PR management to remove the DS and other senior officials for being responsible,” the committee chairman told Dawn when contacted after the meeting.

He confirmed the remarks given by him and other committee members over performance of the department.

Mr Wattoo said the committee members also expressed concerns over absence of minister Azam Khan Swati and a couple of other senior officials. “Though the railways chairman had told the committee by phone and excused from participation, the minister didn’t bother to attend such an important gathering,” he said.

Meanwhile, according to a PR press release, the committee members and the officials discussed various issues related to the department’s freight business outsourcing, ML-1 project, Ghotki train accident, anti-encroachment operations and sale of scrap. The members also directed the officials to submit record of the scrap sold and being offered for sale.

The meeting was attended by committee members Muhammad Bashir Khan, Amjad Ali Khan, Dr Afzal Khan Dhandla, Tahir Iqbal, Nusrat Wahid, Engineer Sabir Hussain Qaimkhani, Ali Pervaiz Malik, Muhammad Khan Daha, Pir Syed Fazal Ali Shah Jilani, Sheikh Rashid Shafiq and Ramesh Laal. PR CEO Nisar Ahmad Memon and other senior officials were also present.

Published in Dawn, August 25th, 2021