Railways-businessmen partnership: minister for construction of dry port in NWFP

Caretaker Federal Minister for Railways, Mansoor Tariq, has extended offer for construction of modern dry port in NWFP through Railways-businessmen partnership.
Talking to businessmen of NWFP during his visit to Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) here on Wednesday, the federal caretaker Minister said that railways is ready to provide land at Azhakhel in Nowshera district to businessmen for construction of new dry port catering to present day needs.
Mansoor Tariq apprised the businessmen that a similar agreement between Pakistan Railways and a multi-national company has been reached for construction of new dry port in Punjab at Prame Nagar. He also offered the service of cargo trains for timely and quick transportation of goods under Afghan Transit Trade through payment of freight to Railways.
He said businessmen dealing in Afghan Transit Trade should sign an agreement with Railways and the later will provide as much trains as they need for timely delivery of their consignments. The minister said his priority is to reduce loss of the public entity which had surmounted to around Rs 22 billion.
In this regard, several decisions have also been taken including ban on new recruitment in railway besides abolishing all posts lying vacant from the last couple of years.
Similarly, he added, 17 new trains have been closed down which were running in losses. These trains, he added, would now be run on freight basis as a result of which Railways will earn Rs three billion.
The minister disclosed that Railways had signed agreements with several industrial units for transportation of their goods through special freight trains. He said a special cargo train has been started from Faisalabad to Karachi for transportation of textile goods.
In response to a question, the minister told businessmen that Railway would stop production of those train parts at its own factories, which are available in open market at cheap rate.
He informed businessmen that work on the repair and rehabilitation of gigantic Karachi-Khanewal railway track will start from next week. "Funds for the ambitious project have been okayed and the caretaker Prime Minister is expected to inaugurate next week in Karachi."
He said rehabilitation of the Karachi-Khanewal track would take two years time to complete. The government, he said, is working on a broad-based strategy to rehabilitate and repair all those tracks that had completed its life span.
Replying to the demand for running of circular train in Peshawar from city to Hayatabad for reducing traffic rush, the Minister issued directives for release of tenders in this regard. He said private sector would be invited to run this train.
Earlier, President of SCCI, Haji Muhammad Asif, leader of Businessmen Forum, Senator Ilyas Bilour, Executive Member SCCI, Ziaul Haq Sarhadi and others apprised the caretaker Federal Minister about the problems they faced at dry port and transportation of goods through train.