SC orders revival of Karachi Circular Railways

KARACHI: The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Saturday ordered authorities to take steps to immediately revive the Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) project and clear all encroachments on Railways land in the metropolis.

A meeting was headed by Justice Gulzar Ahmed at the apex court's Karachi registry. The divisional superintendent informed the meeting that there were encroachments on several plots of land owned by the Pakistan Railways.

The court ordered authorities to clear all railways tracks in the metropolis and encroachments on land owned by Pakistan Railways with the help of the deputy commissioner.

The court also ordered authorities to prepare bogies for the project with the help of the KMC and local administration. Further, the court ordered the revival of tramlines within the city.

The court directed authorities to speed up the current anti-encroachment drive, ordering that no encroachment be visible in the city. The Defence Housing Authority (DHA) and cantonment boards were ordered to clear encroachments, while authorities were also ordered to demolish shops illegally built under the FTC Bridge.

Experts say the revival of the Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) mass transit project could potentially serve millions of daily commuters, decongesting the often-jammed roads in the megalopolis. However, the long-pending plan has seen several hiccups over the years.