Supreme Court lambasts Railways Minister over deptt performance

ISLAMABAD: The Chief Justice of Pakistan expressed his disappointment over the manner the railways department being run presently.

“We are not required the railway as it is being run,” Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed remarked when a
three-member bench of the Supreme Court headed by him heard the railways department losses case on Tuesday.

“Why the big-shots were not touched and gatekeepers and drivers removed from jobs after the train inferno in which 70 people were burnt to death,” addressing railways minister Shaikh Rasheed who appeared before the court hearing, the chief justice questioned.

“You should shutdown the department, we are not required the railway as it is being run presently,” the top judge said.

The department took action against 19 people over the fire incident, the minister told the court. “The high-ups will also be taken to task,” the minister said. “The biggest of them is you,” the chief justice retorted. ” You should have resign from the office after the train fire incident,” he added.

The court on the plea of Shaikh Rasheed issued a notice to Federal Ministry of Planning regarding the ML-I project of the railways and summoned the planning minister and officials of the Planning Commission in the next hearing of the case.

Railways minister informed the court that his department has submitted PC-I to the planning commission.

The Supreme Court ordered approval of the ML-I project on the priority basis.

The bench also directed the Sindh government to extend cooperation to the railways department for removal of encroachments for Karachi Circular Railway project.

The court adjourned further hearing of the case till February 12.