The Servant of Sindh Society hereby deplores the Federal Governments moves to dismantle railways in Sindh, which presently include dismantling of (I) Tando Adam - Sakrand, - Moro - Tharo Shah - Pad Iddan line 172 kms long. (ii) Nawabshah - Sakrand - 27 kms. (iii) Pad-Idan - Tharo Shah - Kandiaro - Nawabshah. There were plans to dismantle these lines in 1990, but action was delayed due to pressures from Sindh. The Provincial Government in position now is too weak to defend interest the interior of Sindh. It is not a railway line or the tracks which matter. It is the total infrastructures which are being thrown to the vultures. The government should know that with increasing costs of petroleum products prices further increasing, people have to look back to railways as an ideal, cheaper and better way of transport. Within next 20 years railways are going to become an important means of transport of passengers and goods. We have allowed them to deteriorate in the past 40 years, but now we must exercise caution. Oil prices are kept artificially low by intervention of industrialised nations and their pressures on oil producing countries. Situation can reverse any time, even sooner than can be guessed.

The land occupied by Railways belongs to Government of Sindh. It has neither been officially transferred to or paid for by the Railways. The railways can at the best dismantle lines, but not sell the land along with it.

The SSS emphasises that railway in Sindh should not be dismantled as they are yet to serve Sindh in future and for long time.

By

M. H. Panhwar

DISMANTLING OF RAILWAYS IN SINDH