KARACHI - Chief Minister Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah and Railways Minister Sheikh Rashid on Tuesday agreed over signing a framework agreement between the federal and the provincial government for construction of US$2 billion Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) project.
The Railways Minister along with other officials held a meeting with the Chief Minister and provincial officials at the Chief Minister House where the two sides agreed to ensure completion of the project.
“Sindh government agreed to provide 15 per cent of the KCR, which is Rs40 billion,” Murad Ali Shah said. The government is determined to build the KCR, the Chief Minister said. The Planning & Development chairman said that 24 railway stations will be built for the KCR project. The government is also considering giving compensation to over 4,600 people who are likely to be affected in the implementation of the project.
The Railways Minister said that check posts have been built over the railway land after removal of encroachments.
It was also decided to begin marking the right of way of KCR project.
The chief minister and railways minister also decided to form a committee to sort out matters related to the project.
The meeting also decided to mull a plan aimed at compensating and providing alternate place to around 4600 people who would be affected from the anti-encroachment drive.
Later addressing a presser, the Railways Minister Sheikh Rashid said that the Sindh government and the railways will build the KCR jointly.
The authorities will remove encroachments from a 50 feet wide belt along the railway track. “We have also decided the mechanism of resettlement of those who will be affected in the project,” Rashid said.
The KCR is a China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project and its work will begin after the release of two billion dollars fund from China, the minister said.
He said that the federal and provincial governments and have agreed over five points and both sides will release Rs10 billion each for the project. “We have no differences over KCR project,” the railways minister said.
“Sindh and the Centre are on the same page over the KCR project,” he added.