Minister for Railways Azam Khan Swati has said that the government has set a target to take freight trains business up to Rs36 billion per annum.
Talking to the media on Saturday, Azam Khan Swati said, “Pakistan Railway needs to be run on the business pattern if we want development of this organisation.”
He said the department will seek experts’ opinion for upgrading the basic structure of Pakistan Railway. Swati said that it is the government’s top priority to provide suitable working facilities to the employees of Pakistan Railways. He said that welfare of the railways’ employees is a priority for him. Swati asked the workers union to work for the development of railways and avoid what he called blackmailing the officers for personal gains. “Hopefully, the workers will get more facilities, such as buildings, hospitals and educational institutions in the near future,” he said.
Swati said the assets of Railways will not be sold out. He vowed that illegally occupied lands of railways will be retrieved. He said encroachments on the railways lands would end now and they were planning to reclaim the lands. “The KP Chief Minister Mahmood Khan has assured me the assistance of Frontier Constabulary and police force for the reclamation of Pakistan Railways land encroached in various parts of the country,” Swati said.
The minister said that measures will be taken to ensure safety and avoid rail accidents. He said that the signal system will be improved and the issue of unmanned railway crossings will also be addressed.
