ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on Railways on Thursday expressed displeasure over the non-implementation of the Supreme Court orders by the Sindh government with regard to the rehabilitation of affected residents displaced from areas surrounding the Karachi Circular Railway (KCR).

The meeting which was held at the Parliament House with Senator Mohammad Qasim in the chair also ratified Senator Manzoor Ahmed and Senator Syed Muhammad Ali Shah Jamot as members of the Railway Advisory Committee in Quetta and Karachi.

The committee deliberated over issues pertaining to the rehabilitation of affected residents displaced from areas surrounding the KCR and the pensions of Railway employees in detail.

Reviewing the matter of rehabilitation of affected residents displaced from areas surrounding the KCR, the committee took serious notice of the violation of the orders of the Supreme Court of Pakistan of 24 September 2020 by the Sindh government and directed the Ministry of Railways to submit the implementation report that was submitted to the apex court and take up the matter of non-implementation of the orders with the Sindh government.

Discussing the issue of pensions, the committee showed concerns regarding the ever-increasing percentage of dependents on the organisation’s budget. The committee observed that the government should take measures to provide respite and steps to merge with the national budget.

The committee was informed that at present, there are 25,000 pensioners while the numbers increasing.

Chaired by Senator Mohammad Qasim, the meeting was attended by Deputy Chairman Senate Senator Mirza Muhammad Afridi, Senator Dost Muhammad Khan, Senator Saifullah Sarwar Khan Nyazee, Senator Shahadat Awan, and senior officers of the Ministry of Railways along with all concerned.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023