Senate has approved the Pakistan Railways (PR) Amendment Bill 2022. The previous Railway Act was obsolete and has been amended by Law Minister Azam Nazir Tarar.
According to the bill, those who attack railway facilities will face life imprisonment or even a death sentence, depending on the severity of the offense. It has also intensified the penalties for damaging railway installations.
The amendment bill has removed any loopholes in the laws pertaining to PR, said the Law Minister. Azam Swati of PTI also appreciated the amendment to Railway Act.
Tarar also ordered strict action against attacks from rioters. He told the authorities to ensure a stern stance against law offenders found vandalizing or terrorizing the facility.
Rehabilitation Efforts
Minister of Railways Saad Rafique recently revealed that PR sustained a loss of Rs. 525 billion owing to the devastation from monsoon rains and subsequent floods. He made this revelation during a press conference at the Railways Headquarters in Lahore last week.
During the same conference, Rafique appreciated the staff’s hard work to restore operations. He also sought proposals to increase PR’s revenue. He also discussed recovery options for the destroyed train tracks in the wake of floods.
To save unnecessary expenses, PR also decided to discontinue the special trains between Rawalpindi and Lahore due to a lack of passengers.
A PR official told ProPakistani that the minister of railways Saad Rafique, after learning about the lack of passengers, ordered to stop these trains. He learned that PR already runs three separate trains on that route, namely, Islamabad Express, Rawal Express, and Green Line.
The official added that the timings of the aforementioned three trains suited the passengers better.
