LAHORE: Pakistan Railways (PR) and Parks & Horticulture Authority (PHA) have agreed to revive a five-year-old agreement under which the latter was to develop greenbelts along the railway tracks from Shahdara to Raiwind under the project reportedly titled “Railway Green Corridor” worth Rs820 million.

With revival of the agreement, the PHA, in association with the PR, will first carry out a survey of the project area and then launch greenbelts development work, including some recreational activities for revenue generation, Dawn has learnt.

“It was actually an old agreement signed between the PR and PHA during the last tenure of the PML-N government. This is now being revived,” PR Divisional Superintendent (DS) Mr Hanif Gul told Dawn on Saturday.

“A PHA delegation also held a meeting with us a couple of days ago where it was decided to revive the agreement by launching the development works related to greenbelts along the railways lines and the empty areas near the stations between Shahdara and Raiwind,” he explained.

Sources say the PR had earlier got developed greenbelts along the railway line at Kot Lakhpat railway station. The PR also got developed walkways and placed benches in the green area. However, the scheme was shelved due to paucity of funds, lack of interest and other administrative issues, they add.

Mr Gul says that besides being an environment-friendly initiative, the project would help avert accidents on the railway line as the fence along these green areas would bar people from crossing the tracks.

“There are around 15 sites between Shahdra and Raiwind we want to develop initially in collaboration with the PHA. Later, we will expand this pilot project by covering all vacant stretches along the railway track from Shahdara to Kot Lakhpat,” the DS says, adding that PR may also provide workers to assist the PHA staff engaged for the project to build railway staffers capacity for developing greenbelts.

He says tuck shops, tea stalls etc will also be set up on these green areas and the revenue to be generated thus will be shared by the partners (60 per cent to PHA, 40pc to PR).

CLEANLINESS DRIVE: The Lahore Waste Management Company (LWMC) is launching a cleanliness operation ahead of Eid and in view of the monsoon season.“The holidays of all field staffers have been canceled with a direction to remain present round the clock in shifts to facilitate the citizens,” says a spokesperson for the company.

As per the notification issued in this regard, the staff can be called any time to deal with any emergency situation in the monsoon season. “A zero-waste operation is also being conducted before Eid and in this regard the company is ensuring clearance of open plots, scraping of roads and de-silting of drains in all the nine towns. The operation will also continue in Gulberg Town and Data Ganj Bakhsh Town,” he explains.

HELD: Pakistan Railways has arrested a station master for allegedly shifting 47 iron doors of the PR to his house.

According to a spokesman, the station master, during his posting at Mardan railway station shifted the doors with intention to sell them.

“The suspect has also confessed to have misappropriated the doors to sell these. Eleven doors were recovered from his official quarter and remaining 36 doors were recovered from the place identified by him,” he said.

Published in Dawn, June 20th, 2022