Rasheed visits Karachi to inspect 'soon to begin' KCR project

KARACHI: Federal Minister for Railways Sheikh Rasheed has said that the work on Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) project to begin soon, ARY News reported on Sunday.

He was talking while visiting the site to review the clearance work along the railway track here.

The court has ordered Pakistan Railways to get clear the land along the railway track, he said adding that resettlement of the affected people will be responsibility of the Sindh government.

The Railways will enforce the supreme court order in its spirit, he said. “I will visit Karachi every fortnight as the work of the KCR going to begin soon.”

In the phase-I of the clearance work, the track has been cleared from City to Shah Abdul Latif Station.

“From overall 30 kilometers track, clearance work has been completed on 12 KM,” railways minister said. “Estimated cost of the work has been 10.5 billion rupees, while 1.8 billion will be spent over the first phase of the work,” Rasheed said.

He said his department has been in contact with the provincial government and have no dispute over KCR project with the government.

He said the Sindh government has awarded a contract to the Frontier Works Organization (FWO) to build necessary infrastructure like underpasses and overhead bridges at the level crossings.

A bench of Supreme Court last Thursday heard case regarding the revival of the Karachi Circular Railway (KCR).

The court ordered Pakistan Railways to get clear the land along the railway track.

In February, the court had directed the Pakistan Railways to revive and operate the KCR within six months and asked the provincial government to build necessary infrastructure.

During last month’s hearing, the railways secretary had informed the court that the KCR track had “almost” been cleared of encroachments.

At this, the chief justice had regretted that the time given by the court was over, but the KCR had not yet been revived.

The KCR, was commissioned in 1964, originally to help employees of the Pakistan Railways travel between their jobs. The service became a full circle of 44km in 1970 and connected Karachi’s four main work areas: the port, the Sindh Industrial Trading Estate (SITE), the city’s central commercial areas such as Saddar and the Landhi Industrial Area. The KCR remained the public transport of choice for the people of Karachi till 1984 when the number of its trains was reduced.