LAHORE: The National Assembly Standing Committee on Railways emphasized the need to regularize railway land and lease out commercial properties to increase revenue.
Chairman Rai Hassan Nawaz presided over the meeting at Railway Headquarters in Lahore. Pakistan Railways CEO Amir Ali Baloch briefed the committee about the organization’s performance, its operational matters and other areas.
Committee members Abrar Ahmed, Waseem Qadir, Zulfikar Sattar Bachani, Ramesh Lal, Muhammad Ilyas, Ahad Ali Shah, Muhammad Jamal, Ahsan Khan, Shafqat Abbas, and Ahmed Salim Siddiqui besides the senior officials of Railways including Chairman Pakistan participated in the meeting. Railway Mazhar Ali Shah and IG Railway Rao Sardar Ali.
Ameer gave a detailed briefing on the amenities provided on passenger trains including introduction of modern dining cars, water dispensers and Wi-Fi on Green Line, Shalimar and Karakoram trains.
He also highlighted the introduction of e-ticketing, refund policies, internet services and the launch of Rabata app, which has significantly improved passenger confidence in railway services. The committee expressed satisfaction over these developments.
Additionally, the committee was briefed on efforts to remove encroachments and lease railway land, as well as address issues related to slums.
The committee members stressed the need to regularize railway land and lease out commercial properties to increase revenue generation for Pakistan Railways.
In response to a question regarding the Quetta Railway Station suicide bombing, Rao Sardar shared detailed information about the attack. He told the committee that payment of compensation for martyrs and injured is in the final stage.
He suggested construction of security walls at railway stations, installation of walk-through gates, increased strength of railway police and allocation of funds for Quick Response Force (QRF). The committee approved these proposals and assured that personnel and scale issues would be resolved.
Roy Hasan expressed the commitment of the committee to send recommendations to the government to improve railway services.
He also approved the minutes of the previous meeting, appreciating the informative railway station visit on Thursday.
He appreciated the cleanliness system in the Police Helpline Center and Executive Washrooms built under Public Private Partnership at Lahore Railway Station.
Furthermore, he proposed a special grant for the renovation of Lahore Railway Station, which was supported by the committee members.