Pakistan will shortly request the Chinese authorities for financing to revive Karachi Circular Railways (KCR) project.
The decision came during the 9th Joint Cooperation Committee (JCC) meeting held in Islamabad recently, where KCR project came under discussion.
The project has greater significance to ease the public transport woes of Karachi which lacks an effective and modern Mass Transit System like other mega cities of the world.
KCR was commissioned in 1964 and was highly helpful till 1984 when 104 trains were operating per day, however, due to lack of investment, the operational efficiency was marginalised thus resulting in the reduction of ridership and eventually it was closed in December 1999.
On a request by Government of Pakistan in 2004-05, Government of Japan agreed to provide Technical and Financial assistance for KCR Project. Initially pre-feasibility study was carried out by Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO) for the KCR Project and the study was completed in March 2006 and was revalidated by M/s Scott Wilson UK in August 2008, with certain recommendations to be incorporated at the stage of design level feasibility study.
On May 09, 2019, the Supreme Court of Pakistan at Karachi Registry passed an order wherein it was stated, "Pakistan Railways will complete its work in fifteen days and thereafter the Sindh Government will take over the said project and run the trains both circular as well as the local. The Sindh Government shall ensure that Circular railway as well as local railway gets in operation within further one month's time."
In compliance to the above orders, local administration in association with Pakistan Railways started removal of encroachments along KCR route. A joint anti-encroachment operation was kicked off on May 15, with the PR authorities focused to clear the right of way (RoW) of the KCR, and hand it over to the provincial government in the first phase of the drive.
Officials said once the long-delayed KCR gets fully operationalised, over six hundred thousand people would benefit from this fast and economic commuter service across the metropolis.
Karachi Urban Transport Corporation (KUTC) officials told Business Recorder that around 4600 encroachments were identified after a detailed survey conducted by the KCR project management few years back. A land of 223 acre had also been allocated for the project, which affected residents in Shah Abdul Latif Town Karachi, but the settlement issue is still unresolved, causing inordinate delay in the revival of important public sector transport project.
Analysts say due to lack of political will, KCR could not see the light of day. Despite JICA's sincere efforts, the go-ahead never came from the government that forced the Japanese aid agency to left the project.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2019
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