KARACHI, Sept 23: The Railway Workers Federation on Sunday expressed its concern over the suspension of Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) for the last eight years and demanded revival of the KCR project at the earliest.
Manzoor Razi, president of the Federation, told a meeting of the organisation that despite repeated promises by the railway minister and the City District Government Karachi, the authorities failed to revive the KCR.
The meeting also expressed its concern over the accumulation of sewage water in the colonies and hospitals of the Pakistan Railway, that had exposed many of the employees and their family members to various diseases.
The meeting demanded for a grant of bonus to the railway employees on the eve of Eidul Fitr as had been announced recently by the Punjab government. The the meeting demanded restoration of the entertainment allowance to the employees, pointing out that the same had been stopped by the management.
The meeting criticised the recent increase in the Railway High School Cantt’s fees, and said the decision had overburdened the railway workers.
Progress made so far
Revival of the KCR has been planned in 2002 but lack of political will apparently blocked a headway in implementing the plan, PPI adds.
Operation of the KCR, a vital urban public transport project, was suspended by the Pakistan Railways in December 1999. However, under mounting pressure from the general public, the Sindh government in 2002 put forth a master plan for its revival in three phases.
In 2004, President Gen Pervez Musharraf ordered the revival of KCR within two years (i.e. by 2006). Intervention at the highest level forced the stakeholders make some progress as feasibilities were prepared and planning was done. Even the KCR was partially revived with the start of a local train service between Wazir Mension and Landhi in 2005. The Pakistan Rialways and the CDGK orchestrated the launching of the service as a major step towards the complete revival of the KCR but the quarters concerned argued that only some local trains were made operational on the already functional main national rail route. The authorities had undertaken to launch the second phase — more services between Drigh Road to the Gillani Railway Station (Gulshan-i-Iqbal) but ground work of the second phase never took off.
In 2005, the plan for a complete revival of the Karachi Circular Railway operation was shelved for at least two years after a team of the Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO) submitted a feasibility study for the introduction of an “electric railcar system” at an estimated cost of $830 million (Rs49.22 billion). It was said that after its approval, the Pakistan government would seek a soft loan from the Japanese government after which work on the project would be initiated by the end of 2007 or early 2008. Hence, this vital project was practically put on the back burner.
It is claimed that certain powerful lobbies are interested in obtaining huge loans from various sources for this project though, according to experts, the Pakistan Railways is capable of reviving it at a much lower cost with local funding and indigenous technology.
Sources in the Pakistan Railways believe that the CDGK is more interested in introducing “monorail” and “light-rail” technologies in partnership with foreign investors.
In a draft report prepared by the experts belonging to the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics, the Higher Education Commission and the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Scientific and Technical Cooperation has strongly recommended revival of the KCR under the public-private partnership. The reported is titled “Technology-based Industrial Vision and Strategy for Pakistan’s Socio-Economic Development.”
