ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Tuesday hinted at summoning the prime minister and the chief minister of Sindh if the Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) is further delayed.
Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed, expressing dismay over slow progress on the KCR, said, "If no progress is made on KCR then we will summon everyone," adding, "if need be then we will summon the prime minister and the chief minister, Sindh."
The court issued notices to the secretary of Pakistan Railways and the chief secretary of Sindh for not complying with the apex court's directions for making the KCR operational within the timeline.
A three-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed, heard the suo moto case related to the operation of the KCR in the economic hub.
The court directed the secretary of Railways and the chief secretary of Sindh to file reply why not contempt of court proceedings be initiated against them for defying the court order.
The director-general of the Frontier Works Organization (FWO) was ordered to be present on the next hearing and file report about the delay on construction of overhead bridges and underpasses on the route of the KCR for smooth running of train.
Habibur Rehman Gilani, secretary/chairman, informed the court that they had taken the images of the KCR route with the help of the Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) and written letters to the FWO.
The chief justice asked him to restore the railway line and start the local train operation.
The court observed that in the last hearing the secretary had assured them that the KCR would be operational within the timeline.
"This objective has not been achieved yet, and the Railways is dragging its feet and not complying with the Supreme Court order.
"The Sindh government has also not complied with the Court direction of constructing the necessary structure and removing encroachment on the KCR route."
The KCR has not started but presenting excuses, which are not tenable.
"This is deliberate defiance by the Secretary Railways and the Chief Secretary Sindh."
The case was adjourned for two weeks.
The apex court on September 24 had directed the Sindh government to remove encroachment along the route of the KCR and rehabilitate the people who would be displaced from those sites.
In the last hearing, the secretary of railways, the additional attorney-general and the officials of the Sindh government had informed the court that considerable progress had been made on the construction of the underpasses and the overhead bridges by the FWO.
They had told the court that the FWO had proposed more overhead and underpasses on the route of the Karachi Circular Railways in order to ensure smooth running of the KCR without any interruption.
The secretary of railways had said that there was no impediment from the Railways and the Sindh government.
The official of the Sindh government said that work for starting operation of the KCR was going on day and night, and the KCR would be operational within the timeline given by the Supreme Court.
The apex court in February this year had ordered making of the KCR functional in six months by removing encroachments on the land of the Pakistan Railways.
According to the reports, the federal government approved in August 2020 a Rs10.5 billion rehabilitation package for the KCR restoration.
The funding is slated to cover only phase one and phase two of the KCR's restoration project, similar to the restoration of the Karachi-Peshawar Railway Line.
The KCR came into being during President Ayub Khan's tenure, who in 1962 suggested the use of trains as a means for short travel in Karachi.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2020
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