LAHORE: Railways Minister Sheikh Rashid said on Saturday that train operations could only be restored across the country after the end of lockdown, which was expected by May 10.
Addressing a press conference at the PR headquarters, he said the government had extended lockdown till May 9. He said the Railways was bearing a loss of Rs5 billion per month due to coronavirus pandemic.
He said that thermal gates to scan coronavirus infected persons, had been reached from China, adding that 50 thermal gates had been manufactured in the Railways factory. The minister said that quarantine train comprising 300 beds had reached Chaman, Balochistan. He has requested all concerned people to raise the grade of every Railways employee by one step up in the coming budget.
He said that it had been urged the authorities concerned to approve Rs 12,000 for each of Railways’ lower grade employees from Ehsaas Cash Programme. The minister cancelled the purposed Iftar dinner at Mayo Gardens in wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
To a question, he said that investigation reports about sugar and flour scam as well as corruption would not be made public if Imran Khan was not the prime minister of the country.”It is very clear that the prime minister will not spare any culprit,” he added.
He said PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif knew that he would never be spared, so he should not create any “dramas”. “His plan got failed so he should now work on how he could save himself,” he added.
To a question, he said that PPP co-chief Asif Ali Zardari was a clever person, so he knew how to protect himself.
