Pursukoon Karachi embarks on journey to revitalise Cantonment Railway Station

Project will be officially inaugurated at a three-day cultural festival on November 22.

KARACHI: Pursukoon Karachi, a non-government organisation, has started restoration of the 115-year-old building of the Karachi Cantonment Railway Station, not only to preserve the architecture of the landmark but also to make it more attractive for people. 

“We want to revitalise the Karachi Cantt Station, not just clean it up,” said Noorjehan Bilgrami of Pursukoon Karachi.

The first phase of the restoration, comprising cleaning and repainting the building, was kicked off by the NGO under its project ‘Umeed ka Safar’. The Pakistan Railways is providing workforce and labourers for the project, which will take a year to complete and will include restoration of the historic building, seating for commuters and porters, refurbishment of washrooms, platforms, waiting rooms, construction of a fountain and a food street named ‘Ta’aam-e-Aam, Ta’aam-e-Khas’.



“We want people to view the Karachi Cantt Station as a place worth visiting,” said Naveed Farooqi, the assistant coordinator at Pursukoon Karachi. “We are a group of artists and we want to let people know that people of Karachi are peaceful and want to spread peace,” Farooqi told The Express Tribune, adding that the restoration will not only preserve the historic building but also help passengers by providing them good seating facilities and well-administered signs. The project will also work on clearing and managing the bus stands outside the railway station to improve the flow of traffic and clear its entrance.

According to Farooqi, private companies ICI and Philips are providing support to the project which will be officially inaugurated on November 22 at a three-day cultural festival by the NGO. “We hope that the Pakistan Railways will extend their full support for the festival,” said Bilgrami.

The cultural festival, which will reportedly be held at the Cantt station, National Academy of Performing Arts and Arts Council, will feature musical performances, display of crafts and food stalls. “We’ve also put together a couple of short films, including Umeed ka Safar, Bandar Road sey Keamari and Tabdeeli, which will be screened as part of the festival,” Bilgrami told The Express Tribune. “One of the films, Karachi Brothers, has been recorded by the coolies of the station. We will also showcase a photo documentation of our journey to bring the Cantt station back to life.”

Pakistan Railways Karachi divisional commercial officer Muhammad Shoaib Adil told The Express Tribune that they were only providing labourers and workforce for the project as they were short on funds. “We are trying our best to facilitate the NGO in the project. A divisional committee under the supervision of the railway divisional superintendent will coordinate with the organisation and will help solve problems they may encounter during the project,” said Adil, while appreciating the task undertaken by Pursukoon Karachi.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 25^th, 2013.