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Karachi Circular Railway needs ‘repair’, not revival
PPI
KARACHI: The government has wasted at about two decades of Karachi and Karachiites in the name of ‘revival’ of Karachi Circular Railway (KCR); however, the cruel fact is that this surface-rail based system only needs ‘repair’ to serve Karachi commuters and help the economy of the city. An expert on railway matters, trade union leader and Chairman of Railway Workers Union Manzoor Razi says KCR system is already present and it could be re-run with a proper repair. He said Karachi needs the KCR as it is. The government should repair and run it. In later stages if funds are available it could be upgraded on modern lines, but the present challenge is not its revival but its repair and making it operational. He said running local trains on KCR track is not as complicated matter as being shown to befool Karachiites. Local trains could be run in the city in just six months, provided the provincial and federal governments are on the same page and order urgent repair of the system. One track of the KCR from the City Station to Landhi is fully functional and express and goods trains already run on it. The track of KCR could be made functional even tomorrow, only by arranging locomotive and rolling stock. The other component of the KCR, called KCR loop needs track, signal repair and rail crossing gates, rehabilitation of abandoned railway stations and provision of locomotives and rolling stock and it could be easily done from three months to six months. Both these tasks do not need any foreign assistance or technology. Pakistan Railway that has already been running express trains from Karachi to Peshawar can do the job easily from its local resources. In past the government had formed some committees to make the KCR functional; however, these committees today seem dysfunctional themselves. A ministerial committee of Sindh government headed by senior minister Nisar Ahmed Khuhro and comprised of provincial transport and finance minister had been formed last year, but after initial enthusiasm, meetings, statements, conference and tall claim this ministerial committee lost steam and went in deep slumber. Today no one knows if this committee is dead or alive. The government again formed yet another committee headed Commissioner Karachi Shoaib Ahmed Siddiqui, with KMC Administrator, KCR and Karachi Urban Transport Corporation Director, Divisional Superintendent Railway, Karachi Mass Transit Director, Finance Deputy Secretary, Transport Secretary and Railways SSP as its members. This committee also followed suit of the ministerial committee of the government of Sindh and went in deep slumber However, the federal railway minister Khawaja Saad Rafique in April last had announced that the Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) Project would be completed within present tenure of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government to provide modern, rapid and low cost transportation facilities at least to 0.7 million commuters per day. However, about 10 months have already passed and there is not a progress of even a single inch on KCR revival, despite the announcement of Khawaja Saad Rafique, who is considered serious in honouring his commitments.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk