ISLAMABAD : Railways minister, Azam Khan Swati, on Monday said the government plans to outsource passengers and freight trains, besides promoting a corporate culture to turn Railways into a profit-making entity rather than turning it into a Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM).
The Railways minister was addressing a press conference along with senior officials of his ministry and business partners interested in joining hands with Railways to raise business held here. The press conference was meant to introduce a policy of introducing Railways coaches/ wagons for branding.
Branding of Railways coaches is a new concept in Pakistan. The concept has two themes. One, it will enhance Railways business substantially and second this concept will introduce a new type of corporate culture in Pakistan.
The minister claimed that his team has lend him a helping hand to make Pakistan Railways a profit-making entity in very short span of around one and half years. He said under his guidance Pak Railways was working day and night to stop pilferage in revenue besides tapping those resources like branding of Railways coaches to add huge revenue in Pak Railways’ income. The minister noted that as a minister he was taking every possible step to ensure transparency in the department and subsequently enhancing income of Railways.. The minister claimed that in the past major resources which could add substantial amount to the income of the Railways remained untapped.
“What I have done as Railways minister is to push my senior team of Railways to open up those vistas for raising the income of the department which had remained untapped in the past and we have remained successful to add many new potential areas for business development in very short span of over one year”, Mr Swati said.
The Railways minister lamented that he as Railways minister was facing paucity of funds otherwise he could surpass India’s Lalu Prasad Yadav. He, however, conceded that theft of iron scrap was going unabated. However, he express full confidence in putting an end to this culture of loot from the Railways. Mr Swati appreciated the business partners who had agreed to development business for Railways through branding Railways coaches/ wagons.
He said Railways had completed a feasibility to operate passengers’ trains between Pakistan, Iran and Tehran and even up to Europe.
To a question Azam Khan Swati said the interested parties were being offered a certain space on Railways coaches/ wagons and this programme will also cover Railways coaches being run for trade and passengers under a tripartite initiative of Islamabad-Tehran and Istanbul trains.
Three parties had presented their cheques as token to get endorse their deal to develop business for Railways from branding of its coaches.
Azam Khan Swati also spoke on the opposition’s no confidence motion and long march being organized from Karachi to Islamabad to muster public support to create a sense as to why ouster of prime minister, Imran Khan, was essential. He threw challenge on the opposition saying since the opposition was a bunch of looters it will never succeed to oust real leader of the people of Pakistan…Imran Khan.
