KARACHI, Aug 13: After a short-lived spur of enthusiastic activities and statements regarding revival of the Karachi Circular Railway (KCR), those at the helms of affairs seemed to have once again forgotten this matter.

It was under increasing pressure from citizens, various organisations and media that the government some two years back took up the matter seriously and President Pervez Musharraf ordered revival of the KCR within two years.

The practical work on this project was started and in early 2005, partial service of the KCR was launched between Landhi and Wazir Mansion.

It was promised that the work on the second phase of the KCR would be completed soon following which the KCR operation would be extended to Nazimabad and Gillani stations. Ironically, the work on the second phase could not even take off for reasons best known to bureaucracy.

Again the media and concerned citizens raised this issue and the big guns of bureaucracy were forced to give some attention to this outstanding issue.

In November 2005, the matter was discussed at a meeting between Sindh Chief Minister Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim and Minister of State for Railways Ishaque Khan Khakwani at the CM’s House and it was agreed to set up a corporation by the name of ‘Karachi Urban Transport Corporation’ to run the KCR.

It was also stated that the federal government would have 60 per cent stakes of the proposed company whereas the remaining stakes would be owned by the Sindh government. It was also agreed that the company would work in the limits of the City District Government Karachi, which would run and maintain a local train service on the main and circular railway lines in the city limits.

Further, it was decided that the federal government would transfer management of the KCR to the provincial government and in this regard a board would also be set up. After taking over the KCR, the Sindh government would be authorised to transfer it to any party in accordance with the relevant rules and regulations. The chief minister, during the meeting, gave a formal approval to the proposal for the formation of the said company.

Some six months later, in mid-May this year, City Nazim Syed Mustafa Kamal visited Islamabad and called on Federal Railways Minister Shaikh Rasheed Ahmed to discuss the revival of KCR. After the meeting, a press release was issued by the CDGK which said that the federal government had agreed to completely revive the KCR and implement the Karachi Mass Transit Programme.

It claimed that the railway minister had also assured the CDGK of all out assistance by the federal government, especially his ministry, in this regard. However, this vital issue was put on the back burner after the meeting.

It may be recalled that a team of Japanese technical experts last year completed initial feasibility report of the KCR revival plan and submitted the to the Sindh governor. According to the reports, this feasibility report was not approved as it suggested a long period for the revival work while the government wanted the process to be completed in a shortest possible time.

The Pakistan Railways had started the Karachi Circular Railway in 1969 and closed it down in 1999 claiming that it was making heavy losses. It is worth noting that the KCR had earned half a million rupees in the first year alone, when it used to charge merely Rs0.25 per passenger. In 1970s, the KCR had been running as many as 104 services daily.

Logically, the KCR should have thrived economically with the passage of time due to the rapidly growing population of the city, but it was claimed that it had been incurring heavy losses.—PPI