LAHORE, Sept 23: Railways Minister Ghaus Bakhsh Mehr said on Tuesday he would not resign even if the PR was found guilty of negligence in the Malikwal accident in which 27 people were killed.
“There is no question of relinquishing charge, as the issue has not been raised by any quarter,” he told reporters before inaugurating the extension to operation of the Lahore-Faisalabad non-stop (Badar Express) train up to Khanewal.
He, however, said the railways officials found guilty of negligence in an inquiry by the federal railways inspector would be taken to task.
Expressing his apprehension that he was not being properly briefed on the Malikwal accident by the railway authorities, the minister said he would visit the spot on Wednesday (today) to have a first-hand knowledge about it.
Replying to a question, he said unmanned level-crossings not only affected the trains’ speed, but also caused accidents. “But we don’t have funds to man all the crossings nor can we close them down keeping in view the public need.”
The minister regretted that the general public lacked sense about the road safety measures, saying” they would insist a gatekeeper to allow them pass through the crossing even when a train is hardly a hundred yards away.”
He told a questioner that the railways had been paid Rs1.9 million (Rs1.1 million short of the required cost) for introducing a manned level-crossing at Malikwal. The departments concerned had been sent many reminders for the payment of the balance, but to no avail.
Answering another question, Mr Mehr said, the railways would pay compensatory amount to the Malikwal victims only if it was found guilty of negligence. He said there was no proposal to reduce the number of level-crossings on the railway network throughout the country.
He said a train on the Khanewal-Faisalabad-Rawalpindi route might be introduced after acquiring new coaches and locomotives.
To a question about Gen Musharraf’s uniform, the federal minister averred: “If the previous military rulers could stay in power for 12 years, why should Gen Musharraf shed his uniform just after four years.”