No hike in railways fare despite rise in oil prices: Sh Rashid

ISLAMABAD: Railways Minister Sh Rasheed took a swipe at former president Asif Ali Zardari over recent HIV outbreak in Sindh.

Talking to media Friday, he asked the former president to look towards Larkana, saying he has turned the province, where his party is in power, into ‘Aidstan’. Had these cases emerged in Ethiopia, Somalia and Congo, (rulers in these countries) would have died, he added.

The minister said the politicians who remained involved in the plunder of public funds proudly said they faced 36 cases. He questioned why they were being released from jail on bail. It is noteworthy that more than 500 people, many of them children, have tested HIV positive in recent weeks in Larkana alone. Earlier, on May 15, Dr Sikandar Memon, head of the Sindh AIDS Control Programme revealed that, 13876 individuals have been screened so far in the city of Ratodero.

Out of the 507 diagnosed with the virus, 410 are children and 97 adults, revealed the Sindh AIDS Control Programme official. Experts warn of a surge in infection rates across Pakistan, due to the use of unsanitary equipment and rampant malpractice often at the hands of quacks.

According to another report, railways minister said presently Pakistan Railways has not increased the fares of the trains despite the oil prices have been increased in the international market. During the meeting of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Railways chaired by Moeen Wattoo, the minister said to meet the expenditure, the fare for AC class were likely to be enhanced after Eid.

He said private sector has shown interest in acquiring passenger trains as the passenger trains business was profitable while railways was facing problems in freight business.

Agenda discussed in the meeting included fiscal situation of PR in first six months of current government; briefing on targets and deficit; benefit cost ratio of newly-launched passenger trains and methodology of feasibility studies for launching new trains.