Summary Have saved oil for 20 days in order to stay safe in case of oil supply being stopped, says minister
ISLAMABAD: (Dunya News) – Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique has on Tuesday said that railways was in loss when he took over it as a minister while it has now become a profitable institution. He also revealed that the institution had saved oil for 20 days in order to stay safe in case of oil supply being stopped, reported Dunya News.
Answering a question during the questions’ session in parliament, Saad Rafique said that 12.5 million passengers had been attracted towards railways during the last three years. He said that even if the oil supply to Pakistan was cut, railways would continue to run for another 20 days.
Saad Rafique added that railways had previously set a target of Rs 36 billion, which was now being revised to Rs 40 billion. He said that the profits from goods-carrying trains would be raised to Rs 14 billion. He also invited the transporters to run trains along with them.
“Railways properties were ours but the documents say they are provinces’. None of the provinces except Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) transferred the property to the institution. The other three provinces, including Punjab, did not abide by Supreme Court’s decision on the matter. But we shall not leave the people occupying slums and commercial properties”, said the minister.
The Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) stalwart said that people could get stay orders for Rs 2000 and the courts didn’t even listen to the view of the institution. He added that railways stops were made on political basis ‘but I will not be listening to any parliamentarian on the matter’. He said that if it was right to make graveyard on railways’ property then railways was bound to turn into a graveyard.
Saad Rafique went on to say that Pakistan Railways was not planning to discontinue the Badin train but wasn’t going to run it in deficit either. He said that Etisalat was given railways’ property in Chaman but the institution did not get its Rs 11 billion.
Protesting upon the absence of Petroleum Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi along with the opposition, Saad Rafique said that the minister whose business was to be discussed in the parliament should have been present in the house. “If Abbasi was present in the city then he should have come”, he said.
