The National Assembly Standing Committee on Railways on Thursday directed Pakistan Railways to submit detailed reports on railway land encroachments and the progress of its restructuring plan, including the ML-I and PIPRI projects, while reviewing railway safety measures, recent accidents and the implementation of its previous recommendations.
A requisitioned meeting of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Railways was held at Parliament House under the chairmanship of Member National Assembly (MNA) Ramesh Lal, who presided over the proceedings in the absence of the committee chairman in accordance with the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the National Assembly, 2007.
The committee confirmed the minutes of its previous meeting held on January 14 and reviewed the implementation status of recommendations made during earlier meetings.
During the meeting, the Secretary of Pakistan Railways gave a comprehensive briefing on recent railway accidents, including the collision involving the Shalimar Express at Lakha Road Station in Sukkur Division and the derailment of the Tezgam Express on the Lodhran–Bahawalpur section.
The members were informed about the causes of the accidents, the findings of departmental inquiries and disciplinary action initiated against officials found responsible.
The committee also received a detailed briefing on Pakistan Railways’ restructuring, revival and growth plan, covering its strategic direction, governance framework, institutional reforms and implementation strategy aimed at modernising the country’s rail network.
Expressing concern over encroachments on railway land, the committee directed Pakistan Railways to submit a comprehensive report on illegal occupations along various sections of the railway network, particularly in Karachi, Hyderabad and other parts of the country.
The committee further instructed the Ministry of Railways to present a detailed briefing at its next meeting on the progress achieved under the restructuring and revival plan, as well as updates on the ML-I and PIPRI projects.
The meeting was attended by Members National Assembly (MNAs) Ibrar Ahmed, Waseem Qadir, Muhammad Numan, Sadiq Ali Memon, Dr. Mehreen Razzaq Bhutto, Syed Waseem Hussain, Ahmed Saleem Siddiqui and Muhammad Ilyas Choudhary.
The senior officials, including the Secretary of the Ministry of Railways, the Secretary of the Pakistan Railways Board, the Chief Executive Officer of Pakistan Railways and other ministry officials, also attended the meeting.
