ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Railways told the National Assembly on Thursday that it suffered a loss of Rs20.6 billion between July 2017 and January 2018.

In a written reply to a question from MNA Shaikh Rohale Asghar about the daily losses being suffered by the PR, the Railways responded by saying that losses multiplied after July 2017, from Rs403.4 million to nearly Rs3bn in August 2017.

It rose to Rs3.41bn two months later in October, 2017 and then to Rs4.3bn by December, 2017, PR said in response to the question.

“In January 2018, the losses were as high as Rs3.2bn,” said the PR.

Out of the Rs90bn budget of PR for the financial year 2017-18, funds to the tune of Rs56bn were to be consumed on salary and pensions only. Members were informed that losses could be controlled to some extent by generating additional revenue receipts and minimising expenditure not directly related to train operations like TA/DA and utilities etc.

The expenditures on salaries and pensions alone amounted to 62 per cent of the total budget of Rs90bn, and cannot be controlled.

Members also apprised that out of the remaining Rs34.2bn, a sizable sum of Rs13.4bn had been allocated for operational fuel during the year 2017-18. This expenditure was also out of control, especially with upward revisions in the prices of fuel during the current financial year.

Responding to questions, Parliamentary Secretary for Railways Raja Muhammad Javed Ikhlas said that the government planned to invest $8.2bn under the China Pakistan Economic Corridor project.

PMLN MNA Tahir Iqbal asked if the government had plans to resume railway service between Rawalpindi and Chakwal that was shut since the last decade.

Published in Dawn, March 16th, 2018