Caretaker Minister for Railways Mansoor Tariq said on Saturday that the suspended train service in Sindh would be restored next week as repair work was underway on 'war footing' basis.
Talking to APP the minister said that the leave of all the railway workers had been cancelled to complete the rehabilitation work quickly.
Mansoor Tariq said that Pakistan Railways (PR) has suffered a huge loss worth billions of rupees on account of attacks by mobs and miscreants on its sites across the country, especially in the province of Sindh. He said that 43 railway stations had been burnt and 20 were damaged, while 22 locomotives were burnt and seven damaged.
The minister said 20 trains were set ablaze, including both passenger and freight trains, while 18 bridges and three track machines were set on fire. He said that five cranes were also torched and 27 block instrument, an essential item without which trains cannot be operated, were damaged or looted.
One VHF tower between Rohri and Sukkur was completely destroyed causing communication failure and 31 level crossings were burnt or damaged. Sixteen tracks were damaged at various places and 149 coaches burnt or damaged.
Mansoor Tariq said that PR had taken several measures to save lives of the passengers, provide them relief and to minimise losses to its infrastructure. He said the train service in the whole of Sindh was immediately suspended but in other provinces the trains were running as per normal routine.
The minister said an overnight relief operation was started on December 28, with the assistance of Pakistan Army, Edhi Foundation and local NGOs, providing shelter and food to the passengers stranded at various places in Sindh province.
Majority of the stranded passengers had been transported to safer locations for others were being taken care of, he said. The minister said that PR had also requested the ministries of Interior and Defence to deploy troops on railway tracks and stations in the interior Sindh where Railway police personnel were at present looking after security.
The PR, he said, was making efforts to realign the damaged track with the help of law enforcing agencies in Karachi and Sukkur divisions. Mansoor Tariq said that the following special inquiry numbers in addition to the railway helpline can be reached for any enquiry about the affected passengers and trains:
Karachi 021-9201112 and 9201113, Lahore 042-9201110 and 9201931 Multan 061- 9200274 and 4027828, Khanewal 065-9200312 and 2019670.
Comments
Comments are closed.