| Karachi: The Sindh government will assume control of the Karachi Urban Transport Company (KUTC) to launch the long-awaited Karachi Circular Railway (KCR), according to news published in the leading newspaper on August 7.
Read: Govt to focus on KCR, ML-1 projects for early completion
The 11th Provincial Coordination and Implementation Committee (PCIC) meeting chaired by Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah and attended by high-ranking officials was held. During the meeting, the PCIC approved for the Sindh government to take control of KUTC.
To expedite the KCR’s realization, Chinese authorities are set to become involved through an agreement. Chief Minister Shah expressed his intention to engage with the Prime Minister to acquire control of the KUTC, which is responsible for the necessary documentation for the KCR initiative.
Moreover, the attendees were informed that the Pakistan Railways (PR) has demanded equal value of land from the Sindh government for handing over the Right of Way (RoW) for the KCR. CM Shah stated that the provincial government had already allocated land to the railways for transportation purposes.
Read: China, Pakistan to start work on KCR and ML-1 projects
Chief Minister Shah directed the PR divisional superintendent to address this issue and facilitate the provincial authorities’ communication with Chinese counterparts, thereby enabling the commencement of the KCR project.
Additionally, it was highlighted that China’s National Railways Administration (NRA) needed to conduct an updated feasibility study for the KCR project. The CM shared that the feasibility study has been completed and Chinese authorities have to devise the framework agreement for commencement of the said project. |
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