ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court expressed annoyance over no policy for regularisation of the Railways employees.

A three-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed, on Tuesday heard the appeals of Railways employees, Muhammad Ajmal, and others, for regularisation of their services.

The chief justice noted that the Railways did not have a recruitment policy, and there was no check on its administration. There is no system to hire people in the Railways.

People are working in the Railways for the last 10 years.

Justice Ijazul Ahsan inquired from the counsel why the Railways officials examine the qualification and merit at the time of recruitment.

The management hires people and later on say that there is no policy for them.

If the appointments are made on merit then such situation will never emerge, the bench noted.

The apex court, in another case, had reserved the judgment regarding regularisation of Railways employees.

The counsel of the employees informed that the workers in the Railways were regularised under the policies of 1985, 2008, and 2012.

According to the secretary Railways, there are a total 76,000 employees, and 142 passenger trains and 120 goods trains are operational.

He said reforms were being introduced on six points.

The new policy is under process.

He said the workers who had approached the apex court had been associated with the project and not direct employees of Railways.

The chief justice said its employees apparently were not fit to operate the trains.

There is a need for the government to take serious steps, and overhaul the Secretariat from top to bottom, in order to ensure that the Railways operate in Pakistan safely.

He expected that such measures would be taken by the federal government immediately, to ensure that the Railways did not play havoc with the lives of the people, and properties were not lost.

The bench after hearing the arguments dismissed the appeals.