Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah sought the federal government's financial assistance to initiate the Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) project, saying the Chinese companies are interested to undertake the task.
Giving a policy statement during the Sindh Assembly's private members sitting, the chief minister made it clear that his government despite being short of funds is ready but cannot carry out the project without the federal government's financial assistance. He said Sindh can however contribute about 15 percent of the total cost of the circular railways project, while the rest of funds has to be pledged by federal government.
He said the Sindh government is also in conflict with Pakistan Railways, which also withdrew its cooperation. "We [Sindh government] do not have funds but ready for the project," he told the legislature that he sent a letter to the prime minister a week ago on the revival of KCR project. He also complained about the prime minister for being unresponsive to his official letters in this connection.
During the last federal government, he said, Sindh had also sought a similar financial package for the KCR given to the Lahore Orange Line. However, he said the project should start. He also criticized the federal government, what he described, hanging of people.
He said that "please stop hanging people and putting them in jails," rather help with the economy that is in tatters. He remarks unleashed the opposition protest in the house.
He felt that the prime minister is not interested in resurrection of the KCR. He said the premier is also not responding to his letters. During his speech, Opposition leader Firdous Shamim Naqvi of the PTI clarified that "it was said about the corrupt people," to be hanged and should not be cited as general impression. Speaker, Aga Siraj Durrani also tried to calm down the angry opposition.
The house turned down a private resolution of PTI's Sidra Imran on poor conditions of Civil Hospital in Tando Allah Yar. A resolution by MQM's Khawaja Izhar-ul-Hasan regarding the non-payment of salaries to the steel mills retired workers since 2013 was however passed, asking the federal government to ensure paying staffs' outstanding dues.