MULTAN City News

Non-release of performance allowance
FBR employees protest on 30th
From Our Correspondent
MULTAN: Members of the Federal Board of Revenue Employees Association have warned of countrywide protest against the government for failing to restore the FBR employees’ performance allowance on November 30.
Talking to journalists here on Saturday, FBR Employees Association spokesman Tahir Khan Khakwani urged the government to continue their performance allowance, which had been suspended in the budget fiscal year 2015-16. He said that the board paid the allowance to almost 80 to 90 per cent employees on their performance. However, the remaining employees were not given the allowance due to poor performance, he maintained. Judiciary, police and other departments were also receiving the same allowance with the name of special allowance, but the employees of the FBR had been deprived of the allowance, which was creating unrest among them, he said. Tahir Khan Khakwani warned the government countrywide strike on November 30 if the allowance was not restored.

‘PR ready to launch freight train for S Punjab traders’
From Our Correspondent
MULTAN: Pakistan Railway is ready to introduce a freight train for the exporters and importers of Southern Punjab on daily basis if they required, said Divisional Superintendent of Multan Railway Zafar Kalwar here on Saturday.
He was talking to a Multan Chamber of Commerce and Industry delegation led by president Mian Fareed Sheikh at the DS office. MCCI VP Muhammad Tariq Khan, former presidents Mian Iqbal Hassan, Muhammad Khan, Khawaja Muhammad Yousaf, ex-SVP Khawaja Muhammad Hussain, Khawaja Mansoor, secretary general Khurram Javed, Divisional Commercial Officer Tahir Khan Marwat and others attended the meeting. Railway DS Zafar Kalwar said that at present, the PR had an operational fleet of over 130 locomotives, but only around 100 are being used for passengers and freight transport and the remaining were used for shunting services. He said that the railway was purchasing 60 diesel electric locomotives worth Rs19.4 billion while more locomotives would be inducted in the fleet. “A majority of these locomotives would be used for passenger trains and the rest would be used to increase freight operations, he said. He said that automatic door system, CBI System and modern signalling system was being introduced to improve the service. MCCI president Mian Fareed Sheikh said that a bounded cargo train service was a need of the hour at the Multan Dry Port for drawing attention of the importers and exporters for advancement of this region. The Multan Dry Port was one of the most essential projects for the expansion of business in the South Punjab region, he added. He said that the project was proposed by traders while the Pakistan Railway had agreed to operate a bounded cargo train service, which was expected to raise commercial movement of imports and exports at the Multan Dry Port. He said that the Pakistan Railway had provided 25 acres of land worth Rs 500 million near Sher Shah. Divisional Commercial Officer Tahir Marwat said that the Pakistan Railway was ready to construct a separate railway junction for importers of this region by declaring Sher Shah Junction a bounded area. The initial cost of the project was estimated at around Rs 170 million but it would be possible through public-private partnership, he added. He stressed the need for laying a track at the Multan Dry Port near Sher Shah. It was a need to understand the importance of bounded cargo train service for the progress of this region, he added.