The freight train service had not become fully operational because of an acute shortage of funds, federal Minister for Railways Haji Ghulam Ahmad Bilour said on Saturday. Talking to officials during a visit to the Peshawar dry port, he said that the Afghan transit goods service would resume via cargo trains as soon as the ministry got required funds from the government.
ANP's provincial activists and senior functionaries of the provincial government accompanied him during the visit. The minister also visited the Afghan transit Cantonment Station. The minister asked the railway authorities for providing basic facilities at the Peshawar dry port and assured that the government would provide funds to renovate the dry port's existing building, besides help resolve drainage problem on a priority basis.
Ziaul Haq Sarhadi, the Chairman Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry's (SCCI) Standing Committee on Railways and Dry Port, briefed the federal minister about operational activities and problems faced by the dry port. Stressing the need for establishing a modern dry port in the province, he said that although there were several export-related authorities created by railway officials, there was no fault on part of the custom officials.
Sarhadi, who is also vice-president of the SCCI, said that the operation of freight trains services had been negatively affected because of the ministry's financial constraints. He went on to say that exports had been adversely affected in the prevailing situation.
"Exporters are unable to export their products such as carpets, handicraft, honey, herbals, furniture, marble and match sticks because the non-availability of freight trains," he maintained. He said that the Peshawar dry port had become redundant in the current situation, adding that a large number of people had rendered jobless, including customs and forwarding agents. The federal minister assured that problems faced by the dry port could be resolved on a priority basis provided the ministry got adequate funds. He expected that Afghan transit trade freight trains would also resume soon.