'Bringing Railways back on track?'

This is apropos a letter titled "Bringing Railways back on track?" carried by Business Recorder on January 16. It is to clarify that the audit report for the first year of the present government was based on the accounts for the fiscal year 2012-13, when the present government was not in power. A total of 59 audit paras were referred to Pakistan Railways for corrective measures out of which requirements relating to 34 paras have already been met and replied. The remaining ones are under process and would be settled after detailed discussion in the forthcoming departmental audit committee's meeting.
It may further be noted that the objections raised in the audit paras indicate irregularities not necessarily constituting corruption and are resolved after receiving replies to the observations. Pakistan Railways is embarking on infrastructure improvement for the purpose of improving customer services that had deteriorated to a considerable extent in the past years. The purpose of this improvement is to make a real difference in people's lives who regularly use railway transportation services. As a result, PR has not only met its financial targets but exceeded them, a performance widely acknowledged as one of the successes of this current administration. Revenues have increased to Rs 36 billion from Rs 18 billion in two years. Freight/cargo traffic has increased by 12 times and passenger traffic by five times. PR is an integral part of the CPEC and a CPEC-funded project worth 3.78 billion dollars would enable trains to run at a speed of 160 kms per hour from Karachi to Peshawar besides improving train stations and facilities en route. Moreover, procurement of locomotives from the United States would enable PR to improve passenger and freight movements further. If the current rate of improvement is maintained, PR will overcome its deficit to a large extent by the end of the tenure of the current administration.