Pakistan Railways on the track of disrepair, 50% staff shortage and empty treasury, will the lifeline come to a complete standstill?

News India Live, Digital Desk: The economic condition of neighboring country Pakistan is getting worse day by day and now its direct impact is visible on Pakistan Railways, which is called the lifeline there. Pakistan Railways is on the verge of collapse due to severe financial crisis, fuel shortage and severe shortage of employees. The situation is so bad that the operation of trains on many main routes has had to be stopped, due to which the problems of the general public have increased. There is a huge shortage of staff: 50% of the posts are hanging. A senior official of Lahore Division of Pakistan Railways has made a shocking revelation. He said that in Lahore division alone, only about 50 percent of the employees are working against the sanctioned posts. Due to this shortage of drivers, guards and technical staff, the workload on the existing employees has doubled, due to which the risk of railway accidents has also increased. Railways does not have funds to recruit new employees. Empty treasury and fuel crisis. Pakistan Railways neither has money to repair old tracks nor the budget to buy enough fuel for trains. In the last few months, dozens of freight trains and passenger trains have had to be canceled due to diesel shortage. Railway officials say that if an immediate financial package is not received from the government, the rail service may come to a complete halt in the coming weeks. Lateness of trains and poor infrastructureLack of money has also affected the railway infrastructure. The tracks on Pakistan’s main railway route (Karachi-Peshawar) have become so bad that trains have to run at very low speed. Despite this, the number of accidents has increased in recent times. Passengers complain that trains are running late by 6 to 10 hours and there is no sign of basic facilities at the stations. Steps towards privatization? Experts believe that the Pakistan government is deliberately worsening the condition of the railways so that it can be handed over to private hands by calling it a loss-making deal. However, employee unions have warned of a nationwide agitation against it. Promises to improve the rail network under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) also seem to be limited to paper till now. Railways was the cheapest mode of transport for the people of Pakistan suffering from inflation. But due to cancellation of trains and increase in fares, traveling is now becoming a dream for the common man. Hours of waiting and uncertainty at the station have broken the patience of passengers.