PR to set up 1,000 marquees across country

The Pakistan Railways (PR) has decided to set up 1,000 marquees on its land throughout the country to compensate for the Rs5 billion loss it is sustaining per month due to closure of its rail operations.

All the divisional superintendents have been directed to set up marquees and food streets on vacant lands in their areas. Federal Minister for Railways Sheikh Rashid Ahmad said this while addressing a press conference here at the Railways Headquarters on Saturday.

The prime minister wants to restructure the organization, and a detailed meeting has already been held with him in this regard, Sheikh Rashid further said. He said railways operations would be restored within 24 hours of directions passed by the premier in this regard.

"Our preparations in this regard are final. A team headed by Secretary/Chairman Railways, Habib-ur-Rehman Gillani, and CEO of Railways had prepared 30 trains in the first phase for restoration of operations, and these will be immediately set rolling as orders are received," the minister claimed.

Sheikh Rashid Ahmad said there would be no delay in dispensation of salaries and pensions despite hard times.

He said PC-1 of the CPEC is in the final stage with the planning ministry and hopefully ML-1 will be inaugurated this year, which would be a year of revolution for railways.

He said that in collaboration with China some machines were being installed at railway stations which could detect corona patients even from a distance of 50 feet.

He appreciated the workers of railways and said they kept the outdated trains updated during the lockdown. The minister further said that PSO and Attock Petroleum would be the supplier of oil for railways.

Trains would be run on 50 percent booking during the quarantine. He said the deficit was reduced by Rs4 billion last year and this year's target was Rs6 billion, but this pandemic ruined the plans.

He said he was trying to completely abolish the Rs34 billion deficit of railways in five years, but now it was hard to achieve this target due to the coronavirus pandemic.