Going round in circles

KARACHI: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf’s (PTI) development projects keep falling in the middle of controversies. A project that frequently makes this list is the Karachi Circular Railway (KCR). The railway system that is part of the PTI’s goal to ensure smooth, city-wide public transit still hangs in the balance with both Sindh and Centre passing the buck to between themselves.

The federal government, as is evidence from the claims made by Federal Planning Minister Asad Umar, is aiming to see the dormant project come to life by mid 2023, the ground reality seems to indicate that this might not be the case as the Sindh government seems to have other plans. The provincial government has cited skepticism over the project, with many in the Sindh government’s ranks sight serious doubts over the feasibility of the project. Additionally, one of the major criticism raised is that the federal government does not actually wish to revive the KCR.

As such, the provincial government has been apparently delaying matters by creating unnecessary bureaucratic hurdles. For instance, the Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) requires a grant of Rs6 billion to begin construction work on the KCR the federal government has been withholding payment. As such, no contract has materialised and no work has taken place on the project.

The Project

For the KCR to be more than just an idea a couple of things must be done to the 44 kilometre long rail system. Three underpasses, a flyover, an elevated 6.4 kilometre long  structure and new rail tracks capable of h running electric trains at a revised cost of over Rs207 billion, must all be done for the KCR to be a reality.

KCR Project Director Ameer Daudpota had earlier stated that underpasses for road traffic would be constructed at Sehba Akhtar Road, Gulshan-i-Iqbal and the existing culvert at 13D area would be widened. Additionally, underpasses will be built at Sharifabad, Federal B Area and another at Mujahid Colony, Allama Rasheed Turabi Road. Besides, a flyover along Ahmed Shah Bukhari Road across KCR providing access to the congested neighbourhood along Mauripur Road and its link road.

Daudpota further revealed that when completed the KCR would have eight trains that would comprise of a locomotive and four coaches each, and every train would be able to  facilitate 814 passengers at a time. “The entire 44 kilometres route will be covered in 55 minutes,” shared Daudpota, while adding that the as many as 550,000 passengers would be able to commute on the railway system each day.

Encroachment

When speaking of skeptics and KCR delays Daudpota stated that the mantle does not simply fall on one party, especially not the one that was now trying to revive the project which would help many citizens of the metropolis. He maintained that, “most of the KCR track was encroached upon for the past 20 years,” while adding that that no authority ever bothered to remove the encroachments on the land until the Supreme Court had ordered the same.

Over the past two decades the 44 kilometres long track had become home to many different kinds of structures, including houses and shops.

Earlier, Federal Railways Minister Azam Khan Swati had revealed that it is the Centre’s plan to provide alternatives for those displaced from these encroached lands.

Looking ahead

According to the Centre, the new and improved KCR project would be completed in the next two years, with automatic, electric and air-conditioned coaches at the cost of Rs207 billion. Despite the provincial government’s claims that it would support the federal government in this endeavor, this has not realistically occurred.

Sindh Energy Minister Imtiaz Sheikh had categorically called the federal government’s claims regarding the KCR lies, while stating that, “they have nothing, no funds and approvals for the electric trains.”

With this type of hostility, it seems unlikely that the project sees the light of day anytime soon.

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