Floods caused Rs 7 bln revenue loss to railways: NA told

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Railways Khawaja Saad Rafique on Wednesday apprised the National Assembly Pakistan Railways suffered Rs 7 billion revenue loss due to last year's devastating flash flood in the country as railways operation remained suspended for 42 days.

Replying to a point of order raised by Aliya Kamran, the minister said Pakistan Railways did not receive a single penny despite efforts to get some funds from the finance ministry or federal government due to financial constraints.

Despite the financial crunch, an amount of Rs 650 million was arranged to link Quetta with other parts of the country, he added.

He said Quetta railways track was severely damaged by devastating floods last year. However, operation from Balochistan has been fully restored.

He said Railways was among those organizations which pay salaries and pensions to the employees from its own resources and the government only bridged the gap. The federal government has also been requested to arrange some funds for railways.