Staff Reporter
The Supreme Court of Pakistan Friday ordered to make Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) operational within six months.
A three-member bench of the Supreme Court headed by Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed, Justice Ijaz-ul-Ahsan and Justice Sajjad Ali Shah heard the KCR revival case at the Supreme Court Karachi Registry.
At the outset of the hearing, Advocate General Sindh Salman Talibuddin presented KCR revival plan in the apex court and added that important development has been made on the project. The Secretary Railways also appeared before the court and said on the directions of the Supreme Court work is underway for the revival of the KCR on daily basis.
Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed showing his resentment over the Railways secretary asked what the department was doing earlier? “We know, you people won’t work to make KCR operational as you lack capacity”, the CJP remarked. “You people do not want to improve the system as you just come up with long written stories,” he added.
The Sindh Advocate General apprised the court that the government is facing difficulties in removing encroachments at 24 gates of the project.
Railways department had assured that encroachments will be removed within 15 days, he continued.
To this, the railways secretary said before the bench of the SC that operations are underway to vacate the land. “What were you doing when the land of KCR was being encroached”, CJP asked Railways secretary. The Supreme Court ordered to make KCR functional in six months and ordered Secretary Railways to cooperate with the Sindh government.
The court also gave two weeks to hold consultation with China as they are financing the project under the umbrella of CPEC. The court warned to issue contempt notices to Prime Minister Imran Khan and Chief Minister Sindh, if the government fails to meet the deadline of KCR revival.
