Shahdadpur station platform’s upgradation: Railways doles out additional Rs2m

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Railways has allocated around Rs 2 million more funds for completing the renovation and construction of a platform of Shahdadpur Railway Station, to be spent during the current financial year.

“Shahdadpur Railway Station, operating with three platforms, is one of the important stations situated on mainline where most of the mail and express trains have their stoppages,” an official in the Ministry of Railways told APP on Sunday.

He said the contractor had stopped the construction work due to non-payment of bills and funds, adding 50 percent of the renovation work had been already completed.

However, the official said the requisite funds are being arranged for the remaining work.

The official said the platform condition on the downside was dilapidated and therefore it was decided to carry out its repair under the head of improvement and welfare expenditure.

He said the total budget for the construction and renovation work was Rs 22.686 million, out of which Rs 5.679 million was released and utilized by June 2022.

To a question, the official said Pakistan Railways was a big organization comprising of around 63,000 employees and its network stretched across the country.

He said the employees have well-cared under the welfare activities like health facilities through a wide network of hospitals, dispensaries and child healthcare units.

Elaborating, the official said the provision of government accommodation according to entitlement and priority list, staff benevolent funds, benefits and incentives were provided through the Prime Minister’s Family Assistance Package policy for families of deceased employees.

He said the other welfare activities included benefits and incentives provided through policy for disabled employees’ families, monthly grants to widows scale-wise, the establishment of primary and high schools, industrial schools to teach handicrafts, sports activities through the constitution of Pakistan and pick and drop facility for schools/offices.

The official said the installation of water filtration plants, a special provision of five medical seats in Ripha Islamic Universities with a reduction of 50 percent in admission and tuition fees, loans on easy installments, availability of all recreational facilities, payment for burial and ambulance charges, marriage grant, farewell grant, free passes and concession in railways fares.