- The mayor has directed the engineering department and other relevant officials to remove the encroachments from city footpaths and service roads.
Sindh chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah approving Rs45 million for preparing feasibility of Karachi Circular Railways (KCR) has ordered the removal of encroachment from route so that work could be started on the project through CPEC.
He issued this order while presiding over a meeting on KCR at New Secretariat on Wednesday, said a statement.
The meeting was attended by Minister Transport Syed Nasir Shah, ACS (Dev) M Waseem, Secretary Transport Taha Farooqi, Secretary Finance Hassan Naqvi, DS Railways Nisar Memnon and others.
Briefing the chief minister, Transport Minister Nasir Shah said that the KCR project has a total length of 43 kilometres of which 13.43 kilometres is on railways main line and 29.69 km on the KCR loop.
He added that he had personally visited the entire KCR route the other day and found encroachments along its route.
DS Railways Karachi Nisar Memon briefing the chief minister on encroachment said that total land required for KCR project is 360 acres, of which 260 acres is of Pakistan Railways land and 100 is on the main line.
He added that the area under encroachment is 67, including 47 acres on KCR loop and 20 acres on the main.
He added that 4653 houses have been constructed on the encroached land and 2997 are other establishments. He said around 20 percent right of way of KCR is under encroachment. The project can only be implemented if encroachments are removed from its route.
Giving details of the encroachment on KCR Loop Section he said that at Wazir Mansion 29.28 of KCR are under encroachment, Wazir Mansion to Baldia 0.82 acres, near Orangi Nala 1.91 acres, Oragni to Nazimabad 1.44 acres, Nazimabad-Liaquatabad 2.36, Liaquatabad to Gilani 3.16 acres, Gilani to Urdu College 2.05, Urdu College to University 4.16 acres, University to Depot Hill 0.91 acres.
The CM Sindh was also informed that the encroachment on KCR main line comes to 20.647 acres which include Tower to Karachi City 0.46 acres, Karachi City to Karachi Cantt 1.67 acres, Karachi Cantt to Chanisar halt 5.837 acres, Chanesar halt to Departure Yard 11.77 acres and Departure yard to Drigh Road 2.63 acres.
The CM Sindh directed Commissioner Karachi Aijaz Khan to hold a meeting with all the deputy commissioners and work out a plan to remove encroachment from the KCR route and submit the report within seven days. He also directed finance secretary to release Rs45 million for conducting feasibility of the KCR.
He said that the feasibility of KCR has to be submitted in JCC for taking it in CPEC projects. He directed M Waseem to coordinate with the federal government for issuing a sovereign guarantee.
Remove encroachments
Meanwhile, Mayor Karachi Waseem Akhtar has directed the engineering department and other relevant officials to remove the encroachments from city footpaths and service roads.
He said citizens have pedestrian rights in the constitution and these are being violated due to the establishment of the encroachments, said a statement on Wednesday.
He also requested to other land owners in Karachi to remove encroachments from footpaths and service roads located in their jurisdiction.
He said traffic flow could only be improved after removal of such encroachments alongside main roads.
He also said that the Supreme Court’s directives regarding encroachments must be followed completely.
Foundation of hoardings and sign boards should also be removed after removal of advertisement devices from footpaths and service roads.
