KARACHI: The Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) project will soon be handed over to the Sindh government, according to the Information Minister of Sindh, Sharjeel Inam Memon.
Speaking at the Sindh Assembly, Memon confirmed that the federal government had agreed to give control of the project to the provincial government, paving the way for work to begin on the highly ambitious plan.
The KCR, which started in 1964 and ceased operations in 1999 after years of losses, will be executed under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
The project has been the subject of much debate and change of plans, with the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government originally planning to revive it on a build, operate and transfer (BOT) basis.
However, the current Pakistan Democratic Alliance-led government has decided to seek Chinese investment for the project under CPEC. The project is viewed as critical to addressing traffic issues in the city.
In the meantime, the Sindh government has launched the Peoples Bus Service (PBS) in every district of the province, with subsidies offered in the fares to help ease traffic issues.
Source: DAWN
