• Islamabad is working closely with Beijing to include KCR in CPEC priority projects, PM tells Sindh CM
• Murad, Shehbaz agree on using Thar coal to run all coal-fired power plants

KARACHI: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has assured the provincial government that the federal government is working closely with Chinese authorities to get included the much-awaited Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) in the CPEC-priority project after Sindh chief minister told him that traffic issues in the metropolis would resolve after the KCR is started.

In their one-on-one meeting at CM House on Friday, the prime minister and Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah agreed to speed up work to restart the 44-km KCR project.

According to a press statement issued here from CM House, PM Sharif told the chief minister that the KCR project would be initiated with Chinese assistance very soon as it was a very important project for solving the traffic issues of the city.

The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government had decided to revive the KCR on a BOT (build-operate-transfer) basis approved by Private Partnership Authority with heavy subsidies to the private partner by the government.

However, the change in regime led to change in financial theme of the project as the incumbent Pakistan Democratic Movement-led government abandoned the PPP mode and decided to seek Chinese investment for the project under CPEC.

Consequently, the work on the first two underpasses in Gulshan-i-Iqbal by the Frontier Works Organisation, which had been awarded contracts of three underpasses — a flyover and an elevated 6.4-km long structure along with the laying of new railway tracks — stopped after the federal government decided to executed the project under CPEC.

As per the approved plan, the KCR has a 43.2 km route, including 25.51 km elevated and 17.7 km on ground, and it would have 24 stations — 13 elevated and 11 on-ground.

Mr Shah told the PM that the provincial government with the assistance of donor agencies had started work on BRT Red Line and Yellow Line projects. “The work on the Red Line project was in full swing while work on the Yellow Line would be started shortly,” the CM said, adding that traffic issues in Karachi would be resolved when the KCR project started.

The PM and the CM also discussed the project of laying a 105-km railway line from Thar Coal field to Chhor so that coal could be transported up-country for coal-based power plants and other industrial units. They agreed to expedite the paperwork of the project.

Electricity crisis

The prime minister and Sindh CM also discussed the issue of the growing cost of electricity which has created unrest among the people.

Both the leaders after a thorough discussion agreed to convert all the coal-fired power projects in the country on Thar coal so that the cost of production could be minimised.

The prime minister said that the federal government was working to provide relief to the people of the country and added that indigenous sources of energy production such as coal and renewable [energy] would be cheaper to provide relief to the people.

The chief minister told the PM that his government would distribute 200,000 Solar Home Systems (SHS) among the deserving people living off-grid or using a maximum of 100 units per month so that they could be relieved of inflated power bills.

K-IV project

The PM and the CM also held a detail discussion on the K-IV project.

The CM said that work on the K-IV canal and conduit was being carried out by WAPDA while the augmentation works were the responsibility of his government.

The prime minister said that he would direct the WAPDA to expedite work on the canal and related structures.

The CM said that his government was going to start augmentation works so that both the works could be completed all together.

Mr Shah told the prime minister that the provincial government had started the Hub Canal project under which the existing canal was being overhauled along with the construction of a new canal so that 200 MGD of water could be brought to the city for the people of districts West, Kiamari and Central.

Published in Dawn, August 10th, 2024