KARACHI: A fact-finding mission of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) seemed reluctant to visit Karachi to expedite the revival of much-needed Karachi Circular Railway on account of perceived security concerns, it emerged on Thursday.

The Jica mission, headed by the Jica South Asia division director Shigeki Fakuda, was expected to arrive here in July to discuss and finalise issues related to the KCR revival, but it did not materialise, sources said.

JICA mission due next week for talks on KCR revival

Talks between the Jica mission and local officials concerned were scheduled for July 8 and 22, they said. As the mission did not arrive, a video conference was finally arranged for deliberations which remained inconclusive, they added.

The sources explained that the local officials sought Jica commitment for providing assistance to and cooperation with project officials for KCR revival. The Jica team informed officials of the Karachi Urban Transport Corporation, which was executing the KCR revival project, and other government officials that they would approach the finance and foreign affairs ministries of Japan before formally responding to the Pakistan government.

Previously, the sources said, Jica appraisal mission had also cancelled their visit to Karachi due to law and order.

They said it was a positive sign that the prime minister took an interest in KCR revival and issued directives to the officials concerned to inquire from Jica as to how long the government should continue to wait for their assistance.

Otherwise, the sources said, Jica’s response was not “very encouraging”.

While the government had shown its commitment to fulfil around 46 conditions of Jica and significant progress had been made in this regard, Jica’s response caused anxiety among the relevant officials that Jica was loosing interest in the project, they said.

Jica’s perceived reluctance also came under discussion at a meeting recently held at the Sindh secretariat when Karachi Commissioner Shoaib Ahmed Siddiqui said that Railway Minister Khawaja Saad Rafiq in another meeting observed that it seemed “the funding by Jica for the KCR project is not forthcoming.”

Therefore, “other options” would have to be found, the commissioner was quoted as having told the meeting. However, KUTC project director Ijaz Hussain Khilji reportedly said that Jica still had some interest in the project. It was stated that a committee comprising the Karachi commissioner, additional IG police, finance and transport secretaries, KUTC managing director, KMC administrator, Pakistan Railway deputy superintendent and a superintendent of railway police and KUTC PD was constituted in the meeting chaired by the Sindh chief minister and the railway minister.

The meeting, which was chaired by Sindh Chief Secretary Sajjad Saleem Hotiana, also deliberated upon the issues of resettlement of Project Affected Households (PAH) and removal of encroachment along the KCR route, which were considered as preconditions set by the Jica mission before starting work on the project.

Earlier, a briefing had been given to the railway minister and the chief minister about three proposals for giving compensation to the PAHs (project affected households) in order to clear the KCR right of way. The proposed amount of cash in compensation for each PAH was Rs1 million, Rs1.5m and Rs2m, respectively. Their total estimated cost ranged between Rs3 billion and over Rs9 billion.

Besides, it was said, the shifting of 12-kilometre-long railway tracks was likely to cost Rs3 billion.

For the safety and security of trains and passengers, it was proposed that an 11-foot-high boundary wall along the KCR route be built. The 73-km-long wall was likely to cost Rs2 billion, the sources said.

Published in Dawn, August 1st, 2014