Sindh Minister for Transport Syed Nasir Shah has said the federal government has not yet sent an official letter for handing over the Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) to the provincial government as one of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects.
Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah had recently sent a letter asking the federal government to hand over the KCR to the Sindh government, but the Centre had yet to officially reply to the request, he said while talking to The News at his office on Wednesday.
The minister said three firms of China would bid for the project and tenders would be invited. He wouldn’t say when the process would begin.
When asked if encroachments were the biggest hurdle in restarting the KCR, he said: “[It’s] not an issue. We have started removing encroachments from District Central.” However, he added, that operation was deferred on a request from the railways department.
Shah hoped that by December 2017 all encroachments would have been removed and operational work would commence. He further stated that the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) was unable to provide a loan, and, because of that, it had been decided to include the KCR in CPEC projects.
He announced that very soon 600 buses would run in Karachi and gradually that number would increase to 8,000.
Commuters make their way through a partially deserted bridge in Karachi. — AFP/FileMehfil-e-QawwaliT2F is hosting...
The logo of the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan is seen in this image. — Facebook/Trade Development...
Security personnel take position behind a police vehicle in Karachi. — AFP/FileLast year a six-year-old boy had...
This representational image shows the hands of an incarcerated person. — AFP/FileThe Federal Investigation...
A representational image of a handcuffed person. — Pexels/FileSuspects arrested by the Baghdadi police a couple of...
Karachi Jamat-e-Islami chief Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman gestures for a selfie in the Hospital, this image was released on...