Daily Times

KARACHI: The Pakistan Railway (PR) will not hand over its land included in the Karachi Circular Railway project to the Sindh government without payment on the market rate.

Talking to Daily Times, Arshad Khattak, the divisional superintendent of PR in Karachi, said the PR had purchased the land after paying the entire, adding it would give up land only if it was paid as per the market rate. “The Senate Standing Committee and the Sindh government have already been informed in about it,” he said.

Disagreements over payments have delayed the 43-kilometer KCR project [originally costing $1.27 billion] for eight years. The cost of the project has escalated to $2.18 billion in the meanwhile.

Khattak informed that the provincial government was reluctant to give additional land for a two-track extension programme under the China Pakistan Economic Corridor to the Railways, adding that the federal entity was not taken on board during planning phase of the KCR project.

Khattak also informed that funds for the KCR project under the CPEC were yet to be received from China.

He said NESPAK and a Chinese consultant company have already submitted their respective consultancy reports to the Sindh government.

the Chinese company has followed Japan International Cooperation Agency’s KCR project restoration plan, he revealed.

The total land required for KCR project is 360 acres, of which 260 acres is owned by the Railways.

There are encroachment on 67 acres, 47 of which fall on the KCR loop and 20 acres on the main line.

Around 4,653 houses and 2,997 other establishments have been constructed on encroached land. Around 20 percent right of way of the KCR is under encroachment. The project can only be implemented if encroachment is removed from its route.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah has approved Rs 45 million for preparing feasibility of KCR and has ordered removal of encroachment from the route so that work could be started on the project under CPEC.

Encroachments on KCR loop section include areas of Wazir Mansion-29.28 acre, Wazir Mansion to Baldia 0.82 acres, near Orangi Nala 1.91 acres, Oragni to Nazimabad 1.44 acres, Nazimabad-Liaquatabad 2.36 acres, Liaquatabad to Gilani 3.16 acres, Gilani to Urdu College 2.05 acre, Urdu College to University 4.16 acres and University to Depot Hill about 0.91 acres.

A Sindh government Task Force was given task for removal of encroachment on KCR main line comes to 20.647 acres including Tower to Karachi City 0.46 acres, Karachi City to Karachi Cantt 1.67 acres, Karachi Cantt to Chenisar halt 5.837 acres, Chenesar Halt to Departure Yard 11.77 acres and Departure Yard to Drigh Road 2.63 acres. Commissioner Karachi, Aijaz Khan was head of the Task Force.

Published in Daily Times, May 5^th 2018.