By IANS,
Islamabad : The government will provide Rs.4 billion to revive the ailing Pakistan Railways.
The decision was approved during the Central Development Working Party (CDWP) meeting Friday, emphasising that the railways should augment its freight operations, which had come to a halt due to the department’s miserable financial condition, Dawn quoted a member as saying.
The bailout package, which has come in addition to a recently announced Rs. 6 billion package, covers procurement of locomotives and infrastructure improvement.
The meeting was apprised that over the last decade, the railways has received over Rs. 200 billion from the government putting a heavy burden on the national exchequer despite the fact that its performance has been deteriorating while causing huge annual losses.
“Inefficiencies of the management of the railways have already brought the whole organisation to standstill as the organisation will face problem again next month to pay salaries of staff,” the official said.
Already a large number of locomotives procured in the past were out-of-order due to poor quality, use of poor quality diesel and lack of maintenance, the members were informed at the meeting.
It was observed that by procuring locomotives again it will open channel for corruption and wasting public funds.
On the advice of President Asif Ali Zardari, the government recently provided Rs.1 billion fund to Pakistan Railways to pay salaries.