LAHORE, Nov 22: Only 20 per cent of machines and other equipment at Mughalpura Workshops of the Pakistan Railways have been in working order.

Around half of the 80 per cent machines that have outlived their utility require immediate replacement, members of the Senate Standing Committee on Railways were told during a visit to Mughalpura Workshops on Tuesday.

However, scheduled and nominated repair of two locomotives was being carried out in a month at the Loco Shops, Workshops Divisional Superintendent Abrar Anwar informed senators Maulana Gul Naseeb (committee chairman), Abdur Rashid, Abdul Ghaffar Qureshi and Syed Sajid Hussain Zaidi (members).

The DS said so far one locomotive could be rolled out of the shop, while rehabilitation of the second one would be completed by the month end. Of the 69 Chinese locomotives, one was burnt in riots after Benazir Bhutto’s assassination. At present, some 18 Chinese locomotives have been operational while the rest had to be stabled for a want of spares.

To a query of Senator Ghaffar, the DS said there existed no mechanism to get the locomotive insured. Some 9,825 employees had been working at the workshops against the sanctioned strength of more than 10,000. Efforts were under way to rationalise the staff and keep its strength to 9,825, said Mr Anwar.

Regarding the 87 passenger coaches burnt during the December 2007 riots, the DS said 23 had been repaired and work on the remaining was under way. Nine bogie tanks for oil have been completed and despatched to Karachi for export to Sri Lanka and work on the remaining six was under way.

To another query of Senator Ghaffar, the DS said performance at workshops could be improved by ensuring availability of requisite funds and spares.

The committee members were informed that operation of the workers shuttle train from Lahore station to Mughalpura Workshops had been disconnected to save fuel worth of Rs7 million per annum. Now buses of railway schools were being used for the transportation of workers to and from Mughalpura to Lahore station.

Senator Naseeb said the committee would apprise the prime minister of the problems and needs of the railways. The federal secretaries of finance and planning would also be summoned in the next committee meeting shortly.