Railway accidents Senior officials get an earful about lack of planning.

LAHORE -- In a bid to comply with the orders of the country`s top court, the Pakistan Railways management has issued a final warning to the senior officials to either submit a viable plan within one weel( to control the frequent train accidents and ensure safety of the passengers or face action.

The management has also constituted a four-member committee which would be responsible to review and scrutinise the existing strength of the employees, Dawn has learnt.

`A meeting presided over by PR Board chairman Dr Habib Ur Rehman Gilani on Saturday wasperhaps the most a tough during the last one and half years. The senior of ficials including the Chief Executive Of ficer / Senior General Manager appeared to be panicked after the plan they presented in the meeting regarding the trains` operations, safety, issues etc was straightway rejected by the chairman with a direction to either submit a viable plan within one week or face action,` a senior official privy to the meeting told Dawn.

`What plan you people have presented to me, as it neither covers all issues nor has the points to resolve the problem within a timeframe. Prepare a new plan and submit it to me within a week so that we could be able to comply with the orders of the apex court,the official, who requested anonymity, quoted the chairman as having said.

`Please be informed that from now onward, the action in case of any accident would be taken against the senior officials and not the junior ones. Moreover, in case of accidents, there would be no promotion of the senior officials concerned.

And if the accidents continue increasing, FIRs would be lodged against the senior officials,` the official quoted the chairman as issuing warning to the participants.

The SC in a recent hearing on regularization of the temporary / contract employees, expressed...