Karachi: Federal Minister of
Railways Sheikh Rasheed recently announced that the decision regarding the accommodation
of the affectees of the anti-encroachment drive aimed to clear Railways land
for the Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) track would be taken next month,
according to news sources.
He revealed that the major parts of the railways land had encroachments on it. However, the department was only clearing 50 feet of land for the KCR track; out of the total 140-ft-long encroached area.
The minister made these remarks after a high-level meeting, where he stated that it would be decided next month whether the KCR affectees of the encroachment drive were to get alternative accommodation or monetary settlements.
Minister Rasheed said that the KCR project was part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) agreement and that the venture’s development pace would be expedited after China released the USD 2 billion funding required for the project’s completion. He further agreed that encroachments around the KCR tracks would be eliminated in the next 30 days, as per the directives of the Supreme Court.
In addition, the minister revealed
that his department would be joining forces with the Sindh government to revive
the Karachi Urban Transport Corporation (KUTC) and make it functional once
again —with the KCR expected to be part of the project as well.
In a related development, the SC
bench also directed the Secretary Pakistan Railways to ensure the filing of the
decision made by the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council
(ECNEC)’s to handover the running of the KCR and the Karachi local train
service to the Sindh government. The SC bench presiding over the KCR case
adjourned the hearing till February 21.
Hazafa reveres the art of writing and has been turned into a property enthusiast by profession. Her daily survival kit includes; tea, coffee, keyboard and paperbacks.
