PESHAWAR, Sept 25: A member of the Pakistan Railways Advisory Committee, Ziaul Haq Sarhadi, has rejected the proposed transfer of dry ports to a private firm ‘Pakistan Railways Advisory and Consultancy Services (Pracs)’. Opposing the decision taken by the ministry of railways, Mr Sarhadi, who also heads the Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s standing committee on PR dry ports, said that earlier Pracs had been tasked to sell tickets but it failed to perform well and added to railways’ losses.

On the other hand, he pointed out, the award of the ticket selling contract to Pracs had resulted in closure of booking agencies rendering thousands of people jobless across the country.

Mr Sarhadi said that the decision to run dry ports through Pracs was tantamount to a cruel joke with Pakistan Railways.

Referring to the decision to establish dry ports, he said the idea had been floated to facilitate the business community and minimize burden on the Karachi seaport. The initiative would enable the business community to take benefit of exports and imports in their own provinces, he added.

He said these dry ports were set up in Lahore, Sialkot, Sambrial, Multan, Faisalabad, Rawalpindi, Quetta and Peshawar and added that these ports were playing an important role in collection of millions for the Central Board of Revenue.

Criticizing the proposed handing over of dry ports to Pracs, he said the Pakistan Railways should have improved its tracks from Karachi to Peshawar, arranged more locomotives and constructed shades. Similarly, he added, it should have cut fares in proportion to road transport, built approaching roads and improved its marketing division for increasing import and export.

Unfortunately, he regretted, no such measures were being considered and said that miserable conditions prevailing at Peshawar dry port were a proof of it.—PPI