Railways labourers to be regularised by Oct 1: Rashid

Published September 1, 2019
The railways department has decided to regularise all Temporary Labour Appointments (TLA) by Oct 1 after the prime minister allowed the department to decide their fate, claimed Railways Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmad here on Saturday.  — DawnNewsTV/File
The railways department has decided to regularise all Temporary Labour Appointments (TLA) by Oct 1 after the prime minister allowed the department to decide their fate, claimed Railways Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmad here on Saturday. — DawnNewsTV/File

LAHORE: The railways department has decided to regularise all Temporary Labour Appointments (TLA) by Oct 1 after the prime minister allowed the department to decide their fate, claimed Railways Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmad here on Saturday.

Addressing a press conference, he said the TLA had been working for years in different workshops of the department and could hardly find any other jobs now. All officers concerned have been told to complete the process of regularisation within a month.

The minister also announced increase in monthly allowance of drivers of passenger trains by 20 per cent – from Rs8,000 to Rs10,000.

Talking about any new recruitments, he said it was a complicated issue for the department. “Graduates and masters degree-holders are applying for jobs requiring matriculation, and well over a million applicants applied for 4,000 jobs making the entire process difficult. It was because of this massive number of applicants that the cabinet decided to go for balloting of the candidates. All seven divisions of the department have been told to conduct transparent balloting,” he claimed.

The minister announced inauguration of Bahawalpur railways station on Sept 6 and reduction in fares of Jinnah Express plying between Karachi and Lahore by Rs500 – the new fare being Rs6,000. All the pending renovation works at Rajanpur and Dera Ghazi Khan stations would be completed soon and the stations inaugurated the next day.

He also decided to maintain two spare trains on the Karachi-Lahore section so that any train running late could be quickly replaced and passengers not affected. He lamented that Karachi rains had hit the department hard, impacting its signal system and schedules. But everything would be put back on track within 10 days, he announced.

Published in Dawn, September 1st, 2019

Opinion

Editorial

Counterterrorism plan
23 Nov, 2024

Counterterrorism plan

WITH terrorist attacks surging, resulting in high casualties amongst both civilians and security personnel, it is...
Bullish stock market
23 Nov, 2024

Bullish stock market

NORMALLY, stock markets rise gradually. In recent months, however, Pakistan’s stock market has soared to one ...
Political misstep
23 Nov, 2024

Political misstep

FORMER first lady Bushra Bibi’s video address to PTI followers has triggered a firestorm. Her assertion implying...
Kurram atrocity
Updated 22 Nov, 2024

Kurram atrocity

It would be a monumental mistake for the state to continue ignoring the violence in Kurram.
Persistent grip
22 Nov, 2024

Persistent grip

An audit of polio funds at federal and provincial levels is sorely needed, with obstacles hindering eradication efforts targeted.
Green transport
22 Nov, 2024

Green transport

THE government has taken a commendable step by announcing a New Energy Vehicle policy aiming to ensure that by 2030,...