KARACHI: Sindh government’s Sindh Mass Transit Cell (SMTC) has decided in principle that persons who encroached upon the land aligning to Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) revamping project after 2010 would not be compensated in any form. An affectees committee was constituted by Chief Secretary Sindh under SMTC Director General M Ather as Chairman and, Karachi Urban Transport Corporation (KUTC) Project Director Talib Fateh. Muhammad Ali Shah, Waqar Awan and Haji Khan Badshah as committee members during a meeting reviewed the pros and cons of the issue. The affectees put their demand forward that Karachi Circular Railway land encroachers prior to 2010 should be compensated, with which the chairman and official members of committee agreed. The meeting was informed that Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) had prepared a survey report in 2010 about the affectees in question and under its findings: around 4,653 households would be compensated accordingly. The affectees could consult the JICA list in order to confirm their right to be compensated, the meeting decided. Around 67 acres of aligning land to KCR revamping project had been encroached upon, out of 360 acres of land. The affectees would be given land on National Highway and also the price equivalent to actual value of encroached land. The funds would be arranged by Sindh and federal governments in this regard while a request would be made to Board of Revenue Sindh for earmarking 100 acres of land for the affectees, the committee decided. Talib Fateh said land within 88 feet of aligning area of KCR project would be considered encroachment. Soon after transfer of KCR aligning land to Sindh government, anti-encroachment drive would be started and under first phases, Wazir Mansion to Manghopir Station would be cleared from encroachment, the committee said. Revival of KCR’s PC-II, was approved on March 17, 2017 by Executive Committee of National Economic Council. The project would be implemented by Karachi Urban Transport Corporation, a public limited company registered with Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP), with the assistance of Pakistan Railway and government of Sindh. The total cost of revival project stands at $2.583 billion. Published in Daily Times, October 30th 2017.