300 km long Bostan-Zhob railway track worth billions sold at throwaway prices

[Naveed Yaseen]

By Saleem Shahid
QUETTA, Dec 20: Instead of implementing a proposed plan to link Balochistan with the NWFP via Zhob-Dera Ismail Khan railway line, the Pakistan Railways disposed of its property between Bostan-Zhob railway section worth billions of rupees at throw-away prices.

The contractors hired for dislocating tracks and other property also took away other paraphernalia in connivance with the railway officials although such equipment was not included in the sale agreement.

The Bostan-Zhob Section (narrow gauge) was built about 100 years ago by colonial rulers, and till late 70s, it was used for passenger and goods trains between Bostan and Zhob.

The former federal government had planned to upgrade this section to broad gauge to provide an alternative railway route to the NWPF from Balochistan, and the then railways minister, Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, had announced expansion of Bostan-Zhob tracks up to Quetta and Dera Ismail Khan at a cost of Rs5 billion in his press conference during his visit to Quetta.

However, Pakistan Railways changed its plan, and decided to dispose of the entire section, and finally it was sold out without consulting the elected government.

Some 300-km-long tracks, wooden sleepers, water-tanks at railway stations and tracks lying in stores were auctioned by the authorities in 2007 which fetched Rs310 million.

According to railway estimates, the total weight of all the steel equipment, save the water tanks, comes to 16,174.05 tons.

The market price of steel stands at Rs1.374 billion and even the value of steel apparatus, if scrapped, amounts to a hefty Rs687 million.

Additionally, the weight of 11 water tanks had been estimated at just 5.5 tons, which is actually the weight of just one structure alone.

The auction also included 3,729 tons of deyar wood sleepers worth the total price of the auction in scrap.The auction also included some 963 tons of nuts and bolts which would have fetched a much higher price even in scrap.

The contractors also removed all telegraph poles, along with copper wire, although these did not form part of the auctioned material.

In addition to this, the contractors also emptied all the railway stores in the section containing additional sleepers, furniture and sundry material.

Even furniture was stolen from railway stations on the 300-km long section.

It is learnt that the property was taken away by a group led by a Senator, who owns a Lahore-based steel mills. The group is involved in scrap business operating in the region.

The railways staff had remained posted in the area until 1992, and later only the Watch and Ward staff was assigned duties.

According to sources, 14-year period from 1992 to 2006 saw thefts in railways godowns.

Theft of sleepers and 15-km tracks was also reported in the Fort Sandeman area during this period.

The 2007 auction of tracks and sleepers took place after many botched attempts by the authorities to dispose of the state-owned property.

The matter was brought to the notice of the Senate by a Balochistan member, but to no avail. The area people have demanded a probe into sale of railway property worth billions of rupees at throw-away prices.

“The federal government should take notice of this scandal,” said Abdul Hameed Kakar, an elder of Muslim Bagh who also demanded that the railways should implement its project, linking Quetta with the NWFP.

“It is also necessary for defence purposes,” said Malik Kamal Khan, another tribal elder.

http://www.dawn.com/2008/12/21/ebr1.htm