HAFIZABAD-Crackdown on grabbers of the railway land would be launched without any fear or favour and the land would be retrieved from the land mafia, the Pakistan Railway police pledged.
Talking to journalists, Inspector General of Railway Police Mian Arshad said that the functioning of the railway was being improved gradually and up-gradation of main railway lines from Karachi to Peshawar was being started. It would go a long way in increasing the train speed from 120 to 160 km per hour, he said. He said that the up-gradation of branch lines including Wazirabad-Faisalabad railway sections would also be started in the second phase.
He said that Awam Express has already been upgraded while other trains would be upgraded soon to facilitate the commuters. He said that during the past, all the goods trains had stopped operation but now 14 goods trains have started operation which increased the railway earnings.
He ordered immediate construction of railway station building in Hafizabad as the present one is in dilapidated condition.
STUDENTS HURT IN ACCIDENT: Twelve primary class students including six girls and the rickshaw driver were seriously injured when a recklessly driven truck hit the three-wheeler from behind near Sukheke Mandi.
According to police source, an overloaded rickshaw was bringing the students from Kot Murad to a Sukheke school. When it reached near Pot Bhattian on Lahore road, a speeding truck coming from behind in a bid to overtake hit the rickshaw. As a result, all the students and driver were critically injured. They were shifted to Sukheke and Khanqah Dogran hospitals by the villagers as Rescue-1122 could not reach the spot.
The parents and other citizens blocked the Lahore road to protest against the speeding vehicles which passed through the congested road located in the middle of the town. The protesters overpowered the truck driver, thrashed him mercilessly and later handed over to the police.