NA Committee directs action against encroachments on PR land
By Asim Hussain

ISLAMABAD—The Standing Committee of the National Assembly onRailways on Wednesday directed action against encroachments on PakistanRailway lands.
The direction was issued at a meeting of the committee which was presidedover by Chairman Sardar Tufail Ahmed Khan. The Committee was informed that presently Pakistan Railway owns total landmeasuring 167,690 Acres across the country, out of which 126,425 Acres is in operational use. Railway track, Railway Yards, Station building, other Services and residential buildings including Railway officers andofficials accommodations are located in the whole operational chunk. Discussing the land under encroachment the Committee directed Railways authorities that Divisional Superintendents Railways must be givenmonthly report of such land to the Chairman, Railways.
With reference to future planning in Pakistan Railways, the DirectorPlanning apprised the Committee that the work on 121 Km of double track onLodhran-Khanewal section has been completed, while the work on doubling the track on 246 Km Khanewal-Raiwind section is in progress.
The rehabilitation of Railways track from Karachi to Kotri is in progress,which will be completed upto June next. The feasibility for Lahore-Rawalpindi-Peshawar section for doubletracking is also being prepared.
In line to improve the services of Pakistan railways, the Committee was apprised that out of 69 locomotives purchased from China, 52 are in use of Railways, wile the remaining will be put on track at the earliest. Pakistan Railways is working to further improve the infrastructure,Locomotives, carriages and Wagons.
The meeting was attended by Members National Assembly, Muhammad AnwarBhutto, Tasneem Ahmad Qureshi, Mrs. Nasim Akhtar Chaudhry, Muhammad Farooq Azam Malik, and Qari Gul Rehman, Senior Officers from Ministry of Railways and Pakistan Railways were present in the meeting.