KARACHI: Rains expose limitations of transport system
KARACHI, Aug 20: It is always unwise to place all eggs in one basket. The sole reliance of our public transport policymakers in Karachi on the road transport sector has once again proved a big failure.
Hours-long traffic jams on both main corridors of the city, M.A. Jinnah Road and Sharea Faisal, during recent heavy rains exposed many loopholes in the existing transport system. Millions of commuters remained stranded for four to six hours on roads, which was the direct outcome of sole reliance on road-based transport system.The concerned citizens’ bodies as well as media have been demanding since long for alternate public transport systems, especially the Karachi Circular Railway, but their cries seem falling on deaf ears. Some lessons are only learnt hard way only, the recent paralyses of road-based transport system of Karachi must have dawned on our policy planners that unless giving Karachi multiple and alternate public transport systems including buses, double-deckers, trams and most importantly circular railway, the transport problems of this mega city could not be solved.
Nobody could rule out the importance of buses, minibuses, and promised CNG buses, but the experience had showed that only road-based public transport system could not cater the needs of Karachi commuters. Adding more and more buses and minibuses, CNG-run or otherwise, might be a temporary solution to the problems, with side effects of more congested roads and frequent and prolong traffic jams. One key solution to the long standing problem that aggravated during rains is the revival of Karachi Circular Railway.
Fortunately, our policymakers would not have to work from the scratch, as the city had got, albeit in limbo, a fairly comprehensive circular railway structure, the Karachi Circular Railway (KCR), whose one phase from the City Station to Landhi Station is presently functional.
The KCR was established to cater growing needs of Karachi commuters in 1969, and used to ply more than 100 run per day to facilitate hundreds of thousands of Karachiites. During its first year, it earned revenue of half a million rupees and served for many years before the nexus of corrupt bureaucracy and so-called transporters mafia joined hands to doom it and finally closed down in 1999.
An important section of the KCR runs parallel to the I.I. Chundrigar Road and Sharea Faisal, the two major business areas, where a majority of white-collar commuters go daily for their jobs. The other important section of this system runs through the SITE Industrial Area, a destination of hundreds of thousands of blue-collar workers. Thus, the KCR could cater transport needs of a lions' share of Karachi office and industrial commuters.
In addition, it is less than one kilometre from Kharadar, half a kilometre from the Fish Harbour, and one and a half kilometre from Lea Market. The areas like JPMC, Defence, Kala Pul, Saddar, Shaheen Complex, Burns Road, Arts Council and Sindh Secretariat are within walking distance range from the KCR lines if new stations and halts could be set up on its track. It may be noted that a one-kilometre walk takes no more than 10 minutes, besides a proper shuttle service is needed to link the KCR to many other nearby destinations.
The KCR also serves important residential areas including Masoom Colony, Chanesar Goth, Sindhi Muslim Society, PECHS, Mohammad Ali Society, KDA Scheme 1, Baloch Colony, Mehmoodabad, Shah Faisal Colony, Drigh Colony, Quaidabad, Malir Colony, Landhi, the densely populated areas of Gulistan-i-Jauhar, Gulshan-i-Iqbal, Federal B' Area, Karimabad, Nazimabad, Paposhnagar and Sher Shah. In addition, major Katchi Abadies lie on either side of the track. In almost all these cases, pathways from the railway stations to the road system are required. Except in the case of a couple of railway stations, vehicular access is available or can also be arranged without any difficulty.
The KCR could be easily linked to other densely populated low-income localities of Karachi. It needs to be extended three kilometres into Baldia along Hub River Road; three kilometres into Orangi along Shahrah-i-Orangi; five kilometres into New Karachi along Sher Shah Road; and 4.5 kilometres across the Malir River from Shah Faisal Colony station into Korangi. The roads of these areas could accommodate new track, or elevated transit ways could be built for it, which might be more expensive.
Though some parts of KCR land are encroached upon, the same can be cleared. The railway department had to repair the track damaged due to sheer negligence of various stakeholders. This is a doable job provided strong political will is there.
In recent past, both the city and provincial governments had shown keenness to revive the KCR.
Sindh Chief Minister Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim and City Nazim Syed Mustafa Kamal had separate meetings with state and federal railway ministers in Karachi and Islamabad and it was decided in principle to fully revive this vital rail system, which was an integral part of public transport system of the seventh largest city of the world.
It is hoped that the federal, provincial and city governments should learn from the bitter experience of failure of road-based transport system during the recent rains and take practical steps for the KCR revival.—PPI
