Even today, the porters who carry the load of passengers at Lahore Railway Station are forced to live a miserable life due to inflation.
Their difficulties are increasing day by day. There is no medical facility available to the Qulis and no free education facility for their children. A major part of the income earned from carrying loads throughout the day has to be paid to the contractor.
Muhammad Razzaq Chatha, who has been working as a porter at Lahore Railway Station for the past 37 years, said that he belongs to Sargodha, he has five children, his wife and children live in Sargodha, and they send money to them after two or three months.
Muhammad Razzaq said that he earns one to one and a half thousand rupees per day. They have two uniforms of Quli. It is very difficult to live. This month the electricity bill has been Rs.5000. He also said that his heart wants to eat bread with meat one day, but he does not have enough money.
Another Qli Muhammad Iqbal said he has 8 children, five daughters and three sons, he is also working as a Qli for the last 12 years. His eldest daughter is 15 years old, but he could not send any of his children to school. He said that fees are waived in government schools, but from where to pay the children’s uniform, books and other expenses.
He also said that since those people are subordinate to the contractor, they do not get any allowance, nor will they get pension, there is no medical facility available. He lives in a rented house, paying Rs 10,000 per month as rent.
Young Quli Maqbool Ahmed also has the same complaint. He is a resident of Lahore. He said that when the trains were stopped due to the Corona lockdown and flood, the power situation became very difficult. They pray day and night to keep the train wheel running because the hearth of their house is connected to it. He said that during Eid and Ramadan, there are many travelers who quietly put a few thousand rupees in their pockets.
About 300 Qilis are currently working at Lahore Railway Station. A room has also been allotted to them at platform number four of Lahore Railway Station where they rest during free time and at night. A formal contract is awarded by the Pakistan Railways for the provision of railway services.
Current contractor Muhammad Ashraf while talking to Express Tribune said that according to Railway SOPs, a Qli gives 30% of his daily income to the contractor. We allot a number to each cell. We keep a complete record of it so that it does not abscond with any passenger’s luggage. There are specific rates for handling the goods which are posted at the place. However, some travelers pay more money than they are happy with.
He further said that it is the job of the government to provide education and health facilities to the Qulis. Ration is administered.
President of Pakistan Workers’ Federation Chaudhry Naseem Iqbal said that unfortunately, Qulis are not provided with social security facility and they are not registered with EOB. These people are subordinate to the contractor who may also form a union. The government should include the coolies in the category of labourers, the contractor or the railways should be obliged to play their part in providing them social security and EOB facility.
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