‘Public facilities at railway stations in Karachi in a shambles’

During his surprise visit to the City, Cantonment and Landhi railway stations on Thursday, Incharge Ombudsman Regional Office Karachi Syed Anwar Haider was told that the payment of salaries and pensions to the Pakistan Railways employees had been delayed owing to a shortage of funds.

He visited the railway stations on the directives of Federal Ombudsman Ejaz Ahmed Qureshi. The serving and retired of employees of the Pakistan Railways told Haider that they had been facing acute financial problems due to the non-payment of salaries and pensions for the past many months. The retired railway staffers also complained that they had not been paid gratuity despite the passage of several years.

Haider noted that various public facilities at the three railway stations were in a shambles. The fans, washrooms, benches and waiting rooms at the railway stations were in disrepair and lack adequate sanitation. He said there was a need to set up more ticket counters, so people don’t have to wait in long queues.

He met Divisional Superintendent Pakistan Railways for Karachi Kashif Rasheed and other senior railway officials and informed them about the problems at the railway stations.

Rasheed informed Haider the Pakistan Railways had been in touch with the Ministry of Finance to resolve the non-payment of salaries and pensions.