PAC annoyed at non-utilisation of Pakistan Railways funds

ISLAMABAD: The Public Accounts Committee on Monday expressed its annoyance over non-utilisation of funds by the Pakistan Railways. The Public Accounts Committee has been informed that out of the allocated budget of Rs30.41 billion for the Railways, Rs 23.25 billion has been spent and the funds of Rs7.15 billion were unutilised.

The meeting of the Public Accounts Committee was held here on Monday in which audit paras related to the Ministry of Railways for the year 2019-20 were examined. On utilisation of the funds, the secretary Railways told the committee that the Ministry of Planning had cut the grant and the actual amount not being spent was only Rs806.4 million.

PAC Chairman Rana Tanveer Hussain asked the railway officials that how many accidents had taken place in a year. Senator Sherry Rehman said there were constant complaints about the track. Everyone is singing good tunes while poor people are scared of travelling through railway, she said.

Senator Sherry Rehman said there were 31 accidents in the last three years in the railways and the last accident in Ghotki caused heavy loss of life. “Railways officials are not releasing funds at the district level while the funds are running out and even the railway tracks are not even being repaired but they say if the ML1 project comes, everything will be fine,” she said.

Examining another audit para, the audit officials told the committee that a loss of Rs5.53 billion was incurred due to non-payment to the railways on the issue of occupation of 93 acres ofrailways land in Punjab, encroachments on railway lands by private individuals and occupation of the railway land.

They told the committee that later the Punjab government gave property rights to the residents of 13 Katchi Abadis in 1985 and to the provincial government, 93 acres of land cost only Rs2.5 million.

PAC member Alam Khan said there was always land mafia behind slums and illegally occupied government land should not be allowed at all. Noor Alam Khan said corruption started in the country in 1985 and today we are blaming each other for wrong decisions of the past. “Land mafia earned millions of rupees in many cities, including Peshawar," he said.

The PAC directed to the Railways Ministry to recover an amount of Rs2.5 million from the Punjab government.