Center, Sindh embark on anti-encroachment drive to materialise Rs250bn KCR project

[Edevelop]

KARACHI - The federal and provincial governments on Thursday decided to revive the Rs 250 billion Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) project to restore the confidence of foreign financiers. The project will be led by a full-fledged anti-encroachment drive through fast-track measures.

The anti-encroachment campaign to clear the KCR way is initiated on special directives of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, being shifted to Sindh from Punjab where it was in place for a couple of months.

The decision was taken in a meeting between Sindh Chief Minister Sindh Qaim Ali Shah and Railways Federal Minister Khwaja Saad Rafique.

Among others the meeting was attended by Police IG Shahid Nadeem Baloch, Railways IG Syed Inbne-Hussain, Sindh chief secretary and other officials concerned.

Addressing a hurriedly-called post-meeting press briefing, the two ministers said that the Sindh police chiefs and Railways had been directed to strategise a clampdown on those having violators involved in encroachments of the allocated land for the KCR project.

The two leaders were flanked by party leaders like MNA Abdul Qadir Patel, Salim Zia, MPA Sania Baloch, Najmi Alam and others.

"The prime minister wishes the KCR dream of Karachiites come true under the able supervision and support of the Sindh chief minister," said Saad Rafique.

The federal and provincial governments, however, are yet to ascertain the quantity of the land as neither Saad nor Shah could quote a number.

"We would find out how much land is encroached," the railways minister told Pakistan Today saying the anti-encroachment drive would be effective and meaningful and backed by the federal government. "They would let us know how much land has been encroached upon," the chief minister told a reporter by putting the ball in railway's ministry. They so far have pinpointed Jumma Goth as a major encroached area, Shah added.

The federal minister said the scope of anti-encroachment drive would eventually be widened to whole of Sindh. Saad said he would talk to the prime minister about the federal government's role in discussing modalities with Japanese funders from JICA to ensure funding for the Rs 250 billion project.

JICA, the federal minister said, had long been offering a loan-cum-grant at a nominal interest of 0.1 percent. “When drawn the railways minister clarified that the big commercial encroachers would be taken to task. "We would not remove the tents but would go after the big commercial plazas," he said.

The Sindh chief minister, however, said if need be the shanty small houses would also be demolished but to be compensated.

"We would differentiate between plazas and tents," the railways minister told a questioner.

Saad and Shah said all the political parties, including the MQM, were on board in the materialisation of this long-awaited project. "Karachi is Pakistan's heart that should keep beating," said the railways minister.

Shah termed transportation a major problem the city was facing and said the Sindh government would, in a month or so, run 200 buses to facilitate the commuters. To a query, the chief minister said no neighbourhoods along the planned track of KCR was regularised yet. "Anything illegal would be demolished," he said.

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