PAKISTAN Railways is once again on the path of reforms and modernization, thanks to the active interest of Federal Minister for Railways Hanif Abbasi, who is working not only to fast track major projects but also to exploit the available resources and manpower to improve the service and put the institution on the path of growth and profitability.
Apart from his determination to implement the highly ambitious project of introducing a bullet train between Lahore and Rawalpindi in collaboration with the Punjab Government, measures introduced by him include introducing new trains, upgrading infrastructure and focusing on improving efficiency and connectivity.
There can be no two opinions that cost intensive ML-I and the bullet train projects will take their time to complete in the face of financial and technical hurdles but appreciably efforts are being made to improve quality of service and performance with optimum utilization of available resources.
This approach was highlighted during the Minister’s visit to the Lahore Railway Station when he took strong exception to absenteeism and lack of cleanliness, sending a stern message to those who have become a mere burden on the organization.
It is a reality that PR has a huge human resource but most of them do not take their job seriously and as a result the quality of service suffers and maintenance work remains in jeopardy.
With this in view, the Minister has initiated disciplinary action against such employees and vowed to refer the cases of corruption to the FIA to address any unlawful activity.
The decision to allow provincial food authorities to inspect food quality at railway stations without prior approval will surely help ensure provision of healthy and quality food to the general public.
Similarly, the decision to make luxury saloon coaches available to the general public at affordable charges is also laudable as it is in line with the strategy to ensure optimum utilization of all resources and bring to end the VIP culture at the expense of the institution.
The Pakistan Railways definitely has the potential to become a viable organization provided a comprehensive strategy is devised to eliminate corruption, avoid misuse of resources, proper training and utilization of the manpower, introduce technology and improve infrastructure.
