Railways urged to adopt safety, security measures at stations

Leadership of Businessmen Group (BMG) and Office Bearers of the Karachi Chamber of Commerce & Industry (KCCI) have urged Pakistan Railways (PR) to devise effectively strategies and adopt stringent safety and security measures at all the Railway Stations to avoid such incidents in future.

Expressing deep grief and sorrow over the tragic Tezgam inferno incident near Rahim Yar Khan on Thursday morning in which around 75 people were killed and many others were seriously wounded, Chairman BMG & Former President KCCI Siraj Kassam Teli, Vice Chairmen BMG Tahir Khaliq, Zubair Motiwala, Haroon Farooki & Anjum Nisar, General Secretary BMG AQ Khalil, President KCCI Agha Shahab Ahmed Khan, Senior Vice President Arshad Islam and Vice President Shahid Ismail, said that it was really disturbing for the entire nation to see our innocent brothers and sisters losing their lives in such a painful manner as the three bogies of Tezgam Express, which was one of the oldest and most popular trains of the country, were terribly engulfed by fire probably due to cylinder blast or by short circuit that is yet to be determined but whatever the reason was, this incident exposes the sheer negligence of the railway authorities.

"This tragic incident could have been averted if Pakistan Railways' Staff and its Police had adopted stringent measures at all the railway stations by strictly disallowing every single passenger from carrying any kind of hazardous item including the highly inflammable cylinders during their journey," they said, adding that nobody could dare to even think about carrying such stuff during the air travel only because of the stringent measures and intense checking at all the airports. They stressed that a similar strategy has to be implemented at all the Railway Stations as well because the lives of the poor masses who use trains to reach their destinations, were also equally important.

While referring to some media reports, BMG leadership and KCCI Office Bearers said that it was a matter of grave concerns that the security scanners at the Cantt Station in Karachi remain inoperative, which poses severe threat to the lives of the passengers as due to such a serious loophole, any terrorism activity could easily take place that may result in another carnage hence the situation calls for immediate attention and stringent steps. In this regard, every railway station must have scanners to not only examine the human body but also the baggage as being done at the airports.

They stressed that the government must pay attention to Pakistan Railways and make sure that all the trains and stations across the country are well equipped with the required safety and security stuff as per international standards to avoid such grave losses of precious lives in future.

They also suggested that the government must devise an effective strategy to deal with the issue of substandard cylinders and make sure that only reliable cylinders either imported or locally produced are available in the market as these cylinders were widely being used at kitchens, shops, restaurants, caterers, rickshaws, public transport and school vans, which posed severe threat to the lives of our loved ones particularly the school kids due to poor quality. Under a specific mechanism, these cylinders must be regularly inspected, followed by issuance of fitness certificate.

While offering condolences to the bereaved families, BMG leadership & KCCI office bearers prayed that may Almighty Allah places the departed souls in heaven and saves the entire nation from such tragic incidents in future, besides also praying for the swift recovery of all the injured.

Meanwhile spokesman for Sindh Government and Advisor to Chief Minister for law, Environment & Coastal Development barrister Murtaza Wahab has expressed his deep grief and sorrow over the death of more than 70 passengers on train accident near Rahimyar Khan.

He said that Sheikh Rashid did not have capability of councilor and he is awarded Railway Ministry. Pakistani nation was demanding resignation and railway minister should have been accounted for railway accident. The Provincial Advisor asked for thorough and foolproof investigation into tragic incident. He also prayed for early recovery of the injured people and prayed for departed souls.