KCR construction: PTI demands resettlement of displaced residents

According to PTI, helping people is more important than the project

KARACHI: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has demanded resettlement of the residents living alongside the track of the Karachi Circular Railway (KCR).

The party's Karachi president, Firdous Shamim Naqvi, presented these demands during a press conference on Sunday at the circular railway crossing in North Nazimabad's Block B.

He was accompanied by the party's general secretary, Sardar Aziz, and local party representatives.

Naqvi was of the view that since the project is costing the government billions of rupees, there will be little harm in presenting a resettlement plan for the people who have lived alongside the tracks for many years.

Earlier, we witnessed how people affected by the Lyari Expressway had to suffer and were later provided alternative plots of land 30 to 40 kilometres away from where they lived half their lives, said Naqvi.

Though they were compensated, the procedure was poorly managed, he asserted.

The PTI's Karachi president added that they are not against development projects in the city and have actually been demanding mass transit projects for a long time but these projects should be planned and implemented in a transparent manner. According to him, a resettlement plan for the residents should be a priority.

He pointed out that some black sheep in the government themselves helped these people settle here illegally by taking bribes. Suddenly evicting the residents now has nothing to do with justice, said Naqvi, adding that ever since the project came into limelight, people living here are worried about their future.

He proposed that each household should be compensated with a similar sized plot of land and a sum of money should also be given in accordance with the area to be constructed.

He added that the lives of the residents of the city should not be compromised and a resettlement plan should be focused on before initiating the project.

Commenting on the KCR, Naqvi added that the people of Karachi have been reading about this project for the past several years but the lack of will of the government has left the people dismayed. He demanded of the government not to manipulate the budget and keep the whole process transparent.

Naqvi added that Karachi has an insufficient transport system that nonetheless generates massive revenue but other smaller cities have mega metro projects.

The government has to show a will to complete this project in a short time otherwise we all know the laziness of the government, he remarked.

He added that it will take 10 more years for the project to be completed if one is to judge on the Sindh government's previous performance.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 30^th, 2017.