Daily Times

KARACHI: The Pakistan Railways (PR) has been using delaying tactics on transferring land aligning to the Karachi Circular Railway (KCR)’s revamping project, besides other immovable assets to the government of Sindh, officials of Sindh Transport and Mass Transit Department (TMTD) have revealed.

Earlier, it was decided in principle that the Sindh government would be responsible for running the KCR project in Karachi.

The granting of 15 days to the PR by the Senate’s Standing Committee on Planning and Development and Sindh government to resolve key issues for the revival of the KCR project remained fruitless as none of them had complied with the Senate’s directives.

The Sindh government has, however, planned first phase opening of the project on December 25, 2017.

The National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR) in a written reply to TMTD had also voiced concern in support of “encroachers” and demanded to compensate them compensation.

The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), after an environmental impact survey of the KCR project, was of the view that legitimate holders of land should be given houses.

The Sindh government in a written letter to the PR had asked to hand over the land in question to the Sindh government’ thus enabling it to launch work on the project.

The TMTD had also informed the PR senior executive officer/senior general manager about the above mentioned issue.

A committee, comprising, TMTD director general, representative of Karachi Commissioner, TMTD Infrastructure Director Shahnawaz Nadir, chief investment specialist and project consultant NESPAK, was also constituted by the Sindh government, which was awaiting a green signal from the PR to start work on the project.

Sindh Chief Secretary Rizwan Memon had also formed a committee, including three members of the victim families and PR officials, to solve the problems of the victim families.

Earlier, a meeting of the said committee was also held with the Chief Secretary, TMTD secretary, Karachi commissioner, KDA director general and other stakeholders regarding implementation strategy to start work on the project from Wazir Mansion Station to Manghopir Station.

Another four-member sub-committee was also formed to look into the overall process of implementation under Talib Fateh, KUTC project director.

Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah had said that the federal government was creating `unnecessary` hurdles in the implementation of the project.

Expressing his displeasure, he accused the centre of using delaying tactics to keep the KCR project out of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

It may be mentioned that encroachments have been removed from KCR tracks in South district.

Transport Secretary Saeed Awan in a report had said that 360 acres would be used for revival of the KCR, and area under encroachment, around 67 acres, would be vacated later.

The 43-kilometre-long railway line will go through Landhi, Wazir Mansion, Gulshan-i-Iqbal, COD, Gulistan-i-Jauhar, Orangi Town and Chanesar Goth. The route will have 24 stations.

Published in Daily Times, October 18^th 2017.