KARACHI - Pakistan Railways could save over Rs4 billion a year by adopting a plausible policy on the buying of oil, the proposals given to the Railway Ministry by Railway Workers Union (open lines) suggested. The Union has sent proposals to the federal railway minister, state minister for railway, parliament secretary for railway, chairman/secretary railway ministry and general manager of Pakistan railway, submitting that Pakistan Railway is spending Rs 12 billion only on oil expenses and total 40 per cent fuel is being misused. While giving the recommendations, president of the union Manzoor Ahmed Razi and general secretary Rao Naseem said that the railway department has been incurring huge financial losses which could be reduced through taking plasusible measures and oil saving policy. 'If oil is bought from Iran the railways could save Rs 5 billion a year, and in this way the oil could be reached Quetta within 6 to 8 hours, the union said. The reasons that are conducive in the losses include indiscipline, non-functioning, accidents, corruption, material theft etc, similarly the Railways can review policies regarding expenditures in salaries, oil, allowances and pensions, interest rates, debt paying, and maintaining stocked material in order to diminish losses, they said. The union leaders mentioned here that the railway is using 13 kinds of oil that cost Rs 11 to 12 billion a year and the oil is only purchased from Pakistan State Oil (PSO), but PSO does not provide Pakistan Railway facilities, what it gives to its big clients, which include installation of water coolers at all railway stations, air filling instruments, service of oil filling vehicle, rehabilitation of dispensing meter and many others. Moreover, the PSO refuses to giver oil to the Railways in case of delay in the oil bills, thus the railways suffers much. The union asked why the Railways buys oil only from PSO when there are many other oil companies, and it is to be noted that in 2009 Pakistan railway had to bear loss of Rs 3 billion due to not providing oil to the goods trains by the PSO. The union also showed its concerns over the tendering with PSO as it is given favour over other parties and some times the other parties even not given chance to take part in the tendering process. It was also pointed out that during the period from 1963 to 2002 Peshawar and Rawalpindi divisions were supplied oil from Attok Refinery, but later the authorities started using HSD oil which is just the loss of foreign exchange, so the matter should be investigated. The RWU has sent several proposals to the different concerned authorities but so far they has not received any reply from them, the labour leaders had also met with the railway ministry and authorities is this regard.