KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah while taking a policy decision has said that the encroachments which have appeared on the route of Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) during and after 2013 would be bulldozed and those who were settled there before 2013 would be given compensation to launch the KCR project in September. He took this decision today while presiding over a meeting on KCR to discuss its issues and progress here at the CM House. The meeting was attended by Minister for Transport Syed Nasir Shah, ACS (Dev) M. Waseem, Additional IG Karachi Mushtaq Maher, Secretary Transport Taha Farooqi, Commissioner Karachi Aijaz Ali Khan, Talib Fateh Shaikh PD KUTC, DS railways Karachi, all DCs and other concerned officers. The chief minister was told that more encroachments have appeared along the route of KCR. Around 43.1 kilometers of the route is under encroachment while the encroached length of KCR is 21 kilometers. On this the chief minister expressing his extreme displeasure and said that the district administration, police and concerned railways authorities were in slumber when unauthorized people had started illegal constructions on the government land. “Why you are not giving ownership to government property and why are you collaborating with the encroachers. “This is unacceptable and I would start accountability of the officers at the helm of affairs regarding the encroachments on government land and damage to the government property.” The chief minister was also informed that in four districts, South, East, Central and West 3173 houses and shops are constructed on upto 75 square yards, 688 are constructed over 75 to 125 square yards and 36 houses/shops are constructed over and above 125 square yards. The chief minister directed the transport minister to start work on serving notices to people living there illegally and then bulldoze their houses. Once the structures are bulldozed then start fixing fences to protect the KCR route. “I am going to perform ground breaking ceremony of KCR in September or October in which high officials of CPEC would be invited. That would be the beginning of modern Karachi . The district police, Railway police, Anti-encroachment Force, civic utility agencies, government agencies like KPT, NHA, LDA would participate in the operation for which he assigned the task to Transport Minister Syed Nasir Shah.