20000403

Doctors, ambulances

now available at Cantt,

City Rly stations

KARACHI: For the first time in the history of Karachi Railway Division, the City and Cantonment stations will have doctors and ambulances posted there to cater to the medical needs of some 30,000 passengers who come and go from these stations.

The doctors and ambulances would be made available by Sattar Edhi Welfare Centre.

Decision in this regard was arrived at a meeting of Col. Shahid Mehboob, head of the Army Monitoring team for Railway and Divisional Superintendent Railway, Ghaffar Khan, with Faisal Edhi.

Col Shahid and Ghaffar Khan told APP that Edhi would deploy four new ambulances Ñ one at City and three at Cantonment Railway stations.

The DS Railway said the space for clinics would be provided by the Railway and these would be equipped with wireless and telephone by Edhi.

The two also informed that condition of railway colonies is also being improved. They said a railway doctor would visit three major railway colonies once in a week one by one.

They said the condition of railway schools and hospitals is also being improved. the broken windows and doors and glass panes were being replaced. Their buildings were being painted.

Col Shahid said a major achievement was that a 45-room railway hostel which was under use of unauthorised persons, has got been vacated from them.

The DS Railway said that with the approval of Railway General Manager, this hostel would be converted into a Rest House.

He said the rooms of this hostel would also be used for providing accommodation to student children of railway employees.

they also informed that as part of their welfare programme, 30 bath rooms at Diesel Shed and Loco Workshop at the Cantonment Railway Station have been total removed and 59 sweepers posted there for their proper cleaning and upkeep.

Col. Shahid said that the mud accumulated in the pit at the Loco Shed has been drained out with a pump and drains constructed for their permanent clearance.

The DS Railway informed that railway is undertaking the strengthening of railway track between Landhi and Tando Adam at a cost of Rs 100 million sanctioned by the Railway Headquarter.

He said the amount would be spent on strengthening of 10-km patch between Kotri and Tando Adam and 5-km patch between Landhi and Kotri.

Under the programme, he said, 24,000 concrete sleepers would be laid replacing the existing sleepers. This would enable the trains speed to increase from existing 80km per hour to 120-km.ÑAPP