LAHORE: Some 75,000 railway employees will benefit from the `Labour Package` announced by minister concerned Khwaja Saad Rafique on Saturday.

`To be implemented with effect from Jan 1, 2015, the package is for BS-1 to BS-11 (railway) employees, the minister told newsmen at the signing ceremony of an agreement between Pakistan Railways (PR) and its subsidiary PRACS at the PR headquartersinLahore.

Under the agreement, PRACSwill be responsible for the `branding` of five express trains and 14 stations and pay more than Rs140 million annually to railways.

The minister said that during the ongoing fiscal year, a sum of Rs390 million, which included a one-time benefit and technical allowance, would be disbursed among the rail workersunderthe package.

`Both the railways and finance ministries have finalised the package which now awaits the prime minister`s approval after which payments to employees will start,` said Mr Rafique.

Under the Public SectorDevelopment Programme, Rs300 million will be utilised for the residential quarters of railway workers. Out of another Rs300 million generated by the railways through its own sources, a sum of Rs25 million would be spent on repairs and rehabilitation of officers` bungalows, while Rs270.5 million on the upkeep of the residential quarters allotted to workers, said the minister.

Regarding China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), Mr Rafique appealed the politicians to desist from making it controversial like Kalabagh dam project.

`CPEC is an economic revolu-tion for the entire region. It is not mere a route,` he said, adding railways would get a soft loan worth $3.7 billion for upgrade of ML-I rail track from Peshawar to Karachi.

`We are not depending on ML-I but (have) started work on ML-II linking Quetta with Peshawar,` he said.

To a question, Mr Rafique termed the Royal Palm Golf Club agreement a shady deal. `We humbly request the Supreme Court to decide the matter on merit. The apex court did justice in the Business Express case,` he said.