LAHORE:In a bid to improve cleanliness and attract more passengers, Pakistan Railways (PR) has decided to outsource sanitation services at major railway stations to respective waste management companies by the end of this month.

According to an official source privy to a high-level meeting chaired by Federal Minister for Railways Hanif Abbasi at the PR headquarters on Saturday, the move aims to provide state-of-the-art sanitation facilities at key stations across the country.

On Friday, the minister surprisingly visited Lahore railway station and suspended the divisional medical officer over poor sanitation conditions. Earlier, during a similar visit to Rawalpindi station, the sanitation affairs were handed over to the Rawalpindi Waste Management Company(RWMC).

Lahore station will now follow suit, with the Lahore WMC taking over the sanitationresponsibilities. Similar arrangements are being planned for other major stations.

`The Rawalpindi station is currently under the control of RWMC, and Lahore station will be next,` said a railway official, requesting anonymity.

Minister Abbasi, at a meeting on Saturday, expressed grave concerns over the cleanliness situation at stations.

He told railway officials to outsource sanitation at major stations like Lahore, Khanewal, Multan, Faisalabad and Gujranwala to waste management companies of Lahore, Multan, Gujranwala and Faisalabad.

In the meeting, the Punjab government`s local government senior officials and the LWMC managing director briefed the participants about the waste management model.

The participants also decided to talk with the Sindh Solid Waste Management for outsourcing of Sukkar, Hyderabadand Karachi railway stations.

`Cleanliness and punctuality are my top priorities,` he said.

`All officers must ensure high sanitation standards and smooth train operations at major stations.

He also directed the authorities to properly market VIP salon trains to the general public, as part of revenue-generation efforts.

DESEALED: All steel godowns at Badami Bagh, sealed a few days ago by teams from PR`s Lahore division, were desealed on Saturday after a meeting between representatives of the business community and the PR chief executive officer (CEO).

The PR administration approved the move in light of concernsraisedby the Pakistan Steel Traders Association. A seven-member committee was formed to resolve issues related to tenancy fees, rent, fines, and alleged illegal occupation of railway land.

The committee includes PR`sdirector general (land), divisional superintendent (Lahore), chief engineer (railways) and business community representatives Haji Allauddin, Umar Sarfraz, Sheikh Usman and Malik Faisal Ijaz.

A letter issued to the Lahore divisional superintendent on May 2 confirmed the formation of the committee. It stated the committee would conduct a site visit, review lease and license records for the godowns, consult stakeholders, and submit a report with clear recommendations within 15 days.

`The competent authority has further directed that the sealed godowns at Badami Bagh shall be de-sealed with immediate effect,` the letter concluded.

Also, the PR administration on Saturday transferred Abdul Rehman (divisional engineer, Sukkur) and appointed him deputy director (property & land), Lahore, with immediate effect, according to an official notification.