THE land meant for the Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) continues to be encroached upon in various areas of the city. The land mafia becomes even more active in landgrabbing during the lockdowns. One such spot is behind the Aladin Park from where the KCR track runs through Gulshan-i-Iqbal Block 10-A towards Jauhar Mor. The spot was supposed to become a major train station for the KCR.

The land on both sides of the track now gives a look of a housing scheme. There were only a few huts on the land not too long ago, but now the houses have boundaries, as can be seen in the accompanying picture. It is astonishing to see the land being grabbed at a time when other entities, like the Aladin Park and an under-construction shopping centre, have recently been bulldozed by the government in the same area.

Although the police force on many occasions has taken prompt action and prevented landgrabbing attempts in the recent past, this particular area is known for such encroachments. This is because it is just an extension of a slum area which is next to the KCR’s would-be train station. If this is a legal project, the people living in those houses must be documented.

While the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) and other authorities are busy removing encroachments across the city, the people want to know about the progress on KCR. It was only a few months ago that the KCR had resumed its operations and after a few test runs, there have been no follow-up reports in the media about its progress. The government must clarify if the project has been

shelved or it is not capable of implementing it. If the project is still functional, the government must remove all encroach-ments forthwith to make it a success.

Farhan Ahmed
Karachi

Published in Dawn, August 15th, 2021