KARACHI: 2nd phase of KCR to be over in three months: Ibad
KARACHI, April 7: Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad said on Thursday that second phase of the Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) would be completed within three months after which trains would start running between the City Station and Gillani Station. He was expressing his views while inspecting the rail track on this section. He travelled between the two stations in a train.
The governor said that encroachments, including structures, close to the rail track along this section would be removed. However, he added, alternative arrangements would be made for the affected people.
He revealed that underpasses/flyovers would be built at seven points along this section as and where they might be required.
“It is necessary to carryout repair of the track and the stations, besides removing encroachments, to make the dream of KCR revival true,” he said, noting that substantial progress had been made in this regard.
For the revival of the KCR, it had been decided to release Rs3.5 billion to the railway authorities, Dr Ibad said.
He said that the travel through the section in train had greatly helped him understand the problems relating to the train service.
MORE STATIONS: Talking to newsmen at the Gillani Station, the governor said his journey was aimed at reviewing progress of work, having personal appraisal of the problems, and assessing the need for underpasses/flyovers.
“In accordance with the decisions taken today, several more stations would be added to the KCR system, one of them at the Karachi Stock Exchange and another one at Tower. Thereafter, the system will require further extension and a greater amount of coordinated activity involving the city government and local transport system.”
Dr Ibad pointed out that launching of local train service between the City and Landhi stations had proved a great success as the number of travellers per day had already increased from 650 to 1,900 while it was growing further.
Acknowledging that removal of the massive encroachment along both the sides of the track was a gigantic task, he said efforts would be made to follow the pattern adopted for the rehabilitation of the people shifted from the Lyari Expressway sites. It would be examined that how to execute the plan causing minimum disruption.
With regard to the funding, Dr Ibad pointed out that the federal government was already providing assistance while the railway would be floating bonds to generate about Rs3.5 billion.
Earlier, the governor was given a briefing on the KCR revival at the PR divisional headquarters.
Project Director Aijaz Khilji informed him that after fully reviving the system, 42 trains having eight coaches each would be operated by a private company. Every train would have a capacity of 1,200 passengers, he added.
The revival plan, he said, also envisaged an extension of the existing system to North Karachi, New Sabzi Mandi, Pakistan Steel, Airport and Korangi.
He said that a memorandum of association (MoA) had been prepared and circulated among the members of the Implementation Committee and CDGK officials for necessary approval.
Decisions on certain matters were awaited, he added. The governor directed the authorities concerned to take up these matters on a priority basis and take the decisions.
Those who accompanied the governor in his journey included Railways Minister Ishaque Khakwani, Adviser to the CM Waseem Akhtar, additional chief secretaries Saleem Khan and Ghulam Sarwar Khero, Information Secretary Mehtab Akbar Rashdi, DCO Fazalur Rehman and DS Railways Junaid Qureshi. The train passed through Lyari, Wazir Mansion, SITE, North Nazimabad and Liaquatabad stations.—PPI/APP
