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Karachi commissioner Navid Ahmed Shaikh oversaw on Tuesday the sealing of Tejori Heights- an under construction building being erected on a piece of land claimed by the Pakistan Railways and allocated for the Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) in Gulshan-e-Iqbal- bringing its construction to a halt.
The move came following a Supreme Court order issued earlier this week. The bench had directed the builder of Tejori Heights to stop its construction and the Karachi commissioner to take over the project.
A three-member bench, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Gulzar Ahmed and comprising Justice Sajjad Ali Shah and Justice Qazi Muhammad Amin Ahmed, has issued the order, directing the relevant authorities to restore the KCR completely. The bench had instructed that all encroachments and illegal occupations from the KCR land must be removed.
The railway department secretary informed the court that there is an issue with KCR’s land where work for the Green Line Bus project is underway.
The CJ SCP directed the railway secretary to ensure complete operation of the KCR with the help of the provincial government and resolve any issues that may arise.
Railway department secretary claimed that it would not be possible to do without the help of Rangers and the support of the government.
The bench directed the Rangers DG and Sindh IGP to provide assistance in the matter and directed the authorities to recover the lands leased out after devising a mechanism for this process.
During the hearing, the CJP inquired about the park at Kala Pul as well. “All of the land from Keamari to Qauidabad and around Kala Pul has been illegally occupied. New houses are being built every day on railway’s land. Shrines have [also] been constructed there,” remarked CJP Ahmed.
Supreme Court also asked to revoke the NOC and construction of Hayat Regency hotel and Tejori Heights. No construction will be tolerated on KCR land, remarked the CJP.
The Supreme Court further directed the authorities to start KCR operation within the given time and sought a report from railways DG within a month.
In reference to the dismal state of public transport in the city, the Prime Minister assured residents of the metropolis of swift completion of the Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) and timely beginning of work on roads and bus rapid transit system.
“We have decided to completely solve the issue of transportation and roads.”
The bench also directed the authorities to ensure that the Green Line Bus is operational by June 2021, and directed the Karachi Infrastructure Development Company Limited to submit a report pertaining to the project within a month.
KIDCL chief operating officer (COO) informed the court that two reports have been submitted earlier. The Green Line Bus Project is being built using the funds provided by the Centre and with the approval of the Sindh chief minister and former Karachi Mayor.
KIDCL COO maintained that they are constructing underground passages for the project at Numaish Chowrangi, with the permission of the Mazar-e-Quaid Management Board.
KIDCL COO informed the court that the Green Line Buses will be in Karachi by May 2021 after which, 300,000 citizens will be able to travel through the bus service on a daily basis.
PM Imran announced allocation of Rs572 billion for the city’s mass transit system and rail and road transport systems.
The second major chunk of Rs267 billion was allocated for solid waste management, cleaning of storm water drains and resettlement of people living on encroachments built on the city’s waterways.
“All issues of Karachi, including water supply, drainage, sewage, public transport and solid waste disposal will be addressed at once,” the PM said during his visit to Karachi in September.
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