SUKKUR, Nov 28: Pakistan Railways chairman Shakeel Durrani has said railway fares are being increased because of rise in petroleum prices. He was talking to journalists here on Sunday. He said PR authorities are in touch with district governments to resolve the issue of railway properties and other matters.

Mr Durrani said the Sukkur district government had been allowed to carry out repair work of a bridge between Sukkur and Rohri and funds available with the Sukkur railway division would also be provided to the local government for the purpose.

He said the district government had also been allowed to construct parks on railway lands to provide recreation facilities to people.

He further said permission had been granted for construction of an underpass at the main railway track in Pano Aqil and a park in front of the Pano Aqil railway station.

Mr Durrani said the railways department had taken several measures to better travelling facilities.

He said funds had been allocated to improve the track to make the journey speedy.

He said doubling of the railway track from Rohri to Lahore was also under way and the Rs10 billion project would be completed in six years.

He said timing of the Sukkur Express plying between Jacobabad and Karachi had been changed and now it would depart from Karachi at 9pm.

Meanwhile, at a meeting with District Nazim Syed Nasir Hussain Shah at the circuit house, Mr Durrani asked the district government to look after two schools being run by his department in the city.

According to an official statement issued here on Monday, matters of beautification of the historical tower of sleeper factory, construction of underpasses in New Pind and Pano Aqil, construction of a bypass road at the Rohri railway station, development of a museum and a park, repair the Lansdown bridge and drainage problems in station yard colony and New Pind colony were discussed at the meeting.

The Pakistan Railways chairman approved lease of a railways plot to the district government near the Pano Aqil railway station for a park and another plot at Old Bunder Gudam station, Sukkur, for construction of a playground.

The district nazim told the meeting that Rs5 million had been sanctioned by the federal government for maintenance of the Old Lansdown bridge, Rs2.2 million of which had been spent so far on construction of footpath and streetlights.