Daily Times

KARACHI: Chinese’s bank soft loan of $1.97 billion for the Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) project has been wedged on alleged lethargy of the federal government and the Pakistan Railway (PR), officials of the Sindh government said Wednesday.

Federal government has so far been failed to sign a joint accord with a Chinese company and bank, and with the Sindh government for the release of soft loan, besides handing over federal aligning land along with 43 kilometers railway track.

Similarly PR has not handed over the control of Karachi Urban Transport Corporation (KUTC) to Sindh government. In addition, PR after failing to hand over railway land officially to Sindh government for KCR project has started commercial survey of land for private sale.

New Board of KUTC will comprise Sindh Chief Secretary as Chairman, two members each from PR and Sindh government, DG Mass Transit, Director Karachi Metropolitan Corporation, a private sector consultant and MD KUTC as member-secretary on Board.

The officials of Sindh government have revealed that they have demanded from PR a 30 kilometers alignment route from Wazir Mansion to Drigh Road for removal of encroachments, but nothing has been done positive in this regard.

In result, a stone laying ceremony scheduled for December 25, 2017 could not be held after failure of PR in this respect.

Sindh Chief Secretary briefing about KCR implementation stage by secretary Transport and Mass Transit Department lamented that project consultants have already been mobilised for carrying out survey and soil investigation work, but going forward has been hampered due to inaccessibility to site i.e. Right of Way (ROW) of KCR project.

The main issues along ROW of KCR are dense vegetation, open storm water, encroachment besides sewerage and drainage issues.

He also informed that Sindh Industrial Trading Estate Limited and director Anti-Encroachment of Sindh Board of Revenue were asked to assist TMID regarding removal of encroachment and clearing vegetation and drainage issues that were lying in their respective jurisdiction along ROW of KCR project. But both responsible were unmoved in this direction, he said in dejection.

Satellite imagery of KCR route has been completed by SUPARCO on October 2009 and a memorandum has also been inked with Karachi-Electric for uninterrupted supply of power for project operation.

Revival of KCR on consultancy PC-II, this project was approved on March 17, 2017 by ECNEC Islamabad and completion is likely by June 2018. The project costs Rs 41.5 billion in 2017-18 but no a single penny has been released on federal government lull attitude.

According to PC-I, on Stage-1, KCR loop Karachi City to NIPA (22.4km), stage-II KCR loop, NIPA to Karachi City section and along mainline through Liaquatabad to Karachi City station (PIDC house station-20.7 km and on stage-III Airport-link Drigh Road-Jinnah Airport (6.1km) running has been designed.

Qamar Qureshi, President Economic Forum Pakistan on the matter was of the view that PR should honour its commitments for the sake of commuters of Karachi as this project on completion would have been a real remedy for transport stricken people of city.

Published in Daily Times, December 28^th 2017.