Pakistan Railways here Thursday told Lahore High Court (LHC) that they decided to suspend operation of some of the trains for these not being commercially viable as railways was experiencing heavy financial losses. Railway authorities, through their counsel Sarfraz Ahmad Cheema, stated this in a written reply before Chief Justice Khawaja Muhammad Sharif in a petition challenging closure of six passenger trains.
It said the earning of closed trains was Rs 1066.828 million against a cost of Rs 2470.55 million, which compelled railways to close such trains, as it was not in position to sustain further losses. Pakistan Railways was still operating 212 trains which were suffice to cater to the need of intending passengers on various routes of the country, it added. The counsel, therefore, requested to the court to dismiss the petition. The CJ, however, adjourned hearing till August 12 as the petitioner's counsel sought time to file his rejoinder on railway's reply.
Earlier, Secretary General Pakistan Railway Union Rana Shaukat Ali had filed the petition stating that railways authorities closed six inter-city passenger trains including Mehran Express, Sialkot Express, Sakhi Abbas express, Tezrao express, Chiltan express and Shalimar express.
The petitioner said the respondent authorities decided to close these trains owing to financial constraints. He said it was not the right decision as passengers and employees would directly suffer due to the move. He asserted that railways, instead of controlling its losses, stopped trains to multiply miseries of passengers as well as deprived hundreds of employees of their jobs. The petitioner, therefore, prayed to court to declare railways' notification in this connection as illegal and direct to restore the trains.
Comments
Comments are closed.