Railways can't buy CCTV cameras for Pindi

RAWALPINDI: A major terminal of Pakistan Railways, Rawalpindi Station was exposed to the security threats as the authority could not manage to install Close Circuit Television (CCTV) Cameras due to paucity of funds.

An official of the ministry told APP that the government was making all-out efforts to improve law and order, however there was delay in execution of the project at Pindi Station due to financial constraints.

He said the Ministry of Railways had planned to install CCTV cameras at all major railway stations across the country but could only manage to execute the plan to major railway stations of Karachi and Lahore.

"The CCTV cameras will help railway security personnel to monitor the movement of suspicious people, especially terrorists," he added.

The cameras would be connected with a computer room at Railway Station that would also help the authorities to take action against the violaters of the ban on smoking.

He said the Railways Police in collaboration with respective city police stations has tightened security at all railway stations of Rawalpindi division.

Commenting on measures to improve performance of Railways, he said, 221 locomotives would be functional from January 10 out of 494,managed by Railways on its own resources.

He said the tenders of 150 locomotives have been floated while 75 locomotive will be offered shortly, he said.

A Memorandum of Understanding has already been signed with Ms Four Brothers (pvt) limited to run Business Train daily from Lahore to Karachi.

Ms Four Brothers would invest Rs 225.786 million in the Business Train. The Business Train would consist of 13 coaches including nine air-conditioned coaches, two power vans, one luggage van and one brake van.

Under Public-private partnership a container terminal has been set up at Prem Nagar. PR is also setting up Dry Port at Pir Mukhtar wala in Multan and Azakhel in Peshawar division.

To a question he said PR is offering track infrastructure to Pakistani private parties for use of their own trains in lieu of payment of Track Access Charges.

Due to acute shortage of funds the private parties have been invited to invest in repair of 200 inoperative locomotives on the basis of public private partnership (PPP). (APP)