PESHAWAR:Commissioner Peshawar Division, Riaz Mehsud has reviewed progress so far taken place on safari train from Peshawar to Landikotal, near the Pak-Afghan border after the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government decided to restart the British era railway track.
Commissioner Peshawar has directed the administration to clear encroachments along the railway track within three days otherwise strict action would be taken.
Mehsud visited the railway track with the officials of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR).
He was informed that the British-era track completely encroaches at 11 points in Khyber and Peshawar districts.
Earlier, the Divisional Superintendent (DS) Muhammad Yusuf, Chief Engineer of Pakistan Railway Headquarters, Lahore, and the technical team visited the railway track and identified the obstacles for clearing the route of historic track from Peshawar to Torkham.
The officials also reviewed the progress on the restoration of the railway track. “An initial report on fast initiation of the Integrated Transit Trade Management System will be prepared soon with the FBR authorities,” Yusuf told the media after his visit to the railway track.
Yusuf hoped that the rehabilitation of the Peshawar-Torkham track will contribute millions of revenue for the national exchequer besides boosting the tourism sector.
Besides Peshawar to Khyber safari train, Pakistan Railways intends to start safari trains on various routes on other routes for the promotion of the tourism industry.
Other Safari trains included Peshawar-Attock Khurd, Rawalpindi-Taxila, Karachi to Kanjhar Lake, Lahore-Changa Manga, and Peshawar -Takht Bhai archaeological sites.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Secretary for Tourism, Culture, and Archaeology Abid Majeed said that during the safari train journey, tourists would visit various stations and historical venues for other recreational activities such as camel rides.
The safari train from Peshawar- Attock Khurd was restored earlier.