The Supreme Court was told on Tuesday that the Pakistan Railways had suffered losses of Rs 40 billion on irresponsible attitude of officials and delay in execution of projects.
The figure was quoted by an audit officer who submitted the forensic audit report of the department to the Supreme Court’s Lahore Registry. Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar issued a notice to the railways’ administration on the audit report. He remarked that if the country’s institutions were not working, it was difficult to comprehend how the country was functioning.
In response to a query, the audit officer stated that the department had been plagued by problems for the last 70 years, adding that in the last five years the government had failed to take adequate measures to fix the problems. He informed the court that out of the total 500 railway stations in the country, systems of only 50 were computerised. He said that 70 per cent of railways’ revenue went in the disbursement of pensions. The chief justice then directed to publish the recommendations mentioned in the report and adjourned the hearing.
Published in Daily Times, July 25th 2018.
