KARACHI: The Sindh government and Pakistan Railways have formed a Working Group to fulfil all legal requirements to hand over the administrative control of Karachi Urban Transport Corporation and `Right of Way’ of KCR to Sindh.
This decision was taken in a meeting held between Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah and Federal Minister for Railways Khawaja Saad Rafqiue here at the CM House today. The chief minister was assisted by Minister Transport Syed Nasir Shah, Additional Chief Secretary (Dev) Mohamad Waseem, Principal Secretary Naveed Kamran Baloch, Secretary Transport Taha Farooqui, and Secretary Finance Hassan Naqvi. The federal minister was assisted by his three member team.
The chief Minister said that. “I have held a number of meetings and took this issue with Chinese authorities to include it in the CPEC and I assure my efforts would bear fruit,” he said.
The length of original KCR project is 43.12 km starting from Drigh Road to Alladin Park in circular which would cost around $2609 million. The present scope of the project has enhanced as it could be started from City station to Steel Mill and then along the Super Highway DHA city toward tower in circular. “This would cover the entire city, including of industrial area and residential area.
The chief minister and the federal railway minister agreed that a new feasibility may also be conducted through international bidding so that future requirement of the KCR can be covered. However, focus may be made to start the project for which he would personally visit China to attend Joint Council for Cooperation (JCC) to take up this project for CPEC by the end of this month.
Discussing about this initiative, Syed Murad Ali Shah said that he had written a letter to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif requesting him to hand over the ownership of Urban Transport Corporation (KUTC) constituted to implement KCR, support Sindh government to take up the KCR project in CPEC and give sovereign guarantee for KCR project. “I am thankful to the Prime Minister that he has approved the letter as he received it,” he said and added that he was thankful to the prime minister that he was supporting the cause of people of Sindh.
Federal Minister for Railways Khawaja Saad Rafique said that the prime minister has agreed to hand over the administrative control of KUTC and he has assured the Sindh government of his full support.
