By Ali Imran
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Railways all set to install six more water filtration plants at different railway stations for the provision of safe and clean drinking water to the passengers and their relatives. “The water filtration plants would be installed shortly at Gujrat, Sialkot, Faisalabad, Nankana Sahib, Hassan Abdal and Bahawalpur railway stations,” an official in the Ministry of Railways told APP.
To provide clean drinking water at the railway stations, he said that water filtration plants have been installed at twelve railway stations included Okara, Raiwind, Gujranwala, Multan, Rahim Yar Khan, Sadiqabad, Mirpur Mathelo, Ghotki, Jhelum, Lahore, Rohri and Sukkur.
Moreover, the official said that water supply facilities would be further upgraded at Rohri, Sukkur, Karachi and other important stations. The department has installed its own water treatment plants at Kotri and Rohri for treatment of raw water to make it fit for drinking.
The official said that regular cleaning of water tanks was being carried out to ensure clean drinking water at stations as per directions of the Minister for Railways Sheikh Rashid Ahmed.
To a question, he said that work of rehabilitation and restoration of track on Sibi- Khost section having length of 132.50 kilometres of track was in progress through M/s National Logistic Cell (NLC).
The official said that around 95 percent work of rehabilitation of bridges, railway stations and short embankments have been completed and laying of track was in progress. He said that feasibility study of Rohri-Quetta-Taftan was in progress by Consortium M/s Siayuan (China) and M/s Spectra Pvt Limited (Pakistan).
To another question, he said that there was only one restaurant (Canteen) functioning at Rohri Station, where hygienic quality of food/eatables was provided to passengers. In order to ensure standard quality, he said that random and surprise checking was carried out by Divisional Commercial Officer (DCO), other concerned officers and found that oil of authorized company (Pakwan) bread, rice, flour and soft drinks were being used.
The official said that wherever any discrepancy was noticed, the contractor was fined suitably
