PPP MPAs criticise Centre over delay in KCR project, opposition responds in kind

KCR track, energy projects, and public transport systems were on the agenda 


Our Correspondent January 22, 2019
File photo of Karachi Circular Railways. PHOTO: REUTERS

KARACHI: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) lawmakers critcised the federal government in the Sindh Assembly on Monday, holding it responsible for delays in the Karachi Circular Railways (KCR) project. They demanded the Centre to issue the sovereign guarantee.

Meanwhile, during the debate on an adjournment motion regarding the "federal government's commitment to people of Karachi about KCR," Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmakers held the Sindh government responsible for failing to achieve the target.

According to Sindh Transport Minister Awais Qadir Shah, the project cannot be initiated until the federal government gives a sovereign guarantee to foreign companies who have agreed to work on it.

Anti-encroachment drive: Govt moves to revive KCR

"We have written a number of letters to the federal government, but all in vain," he said. "The intentions of federal government can be gauged from the fact that it has not put in Executive Committee of National Economic Council (ECNEC)," he added.

PPP MPA Sadia Javed, moving the adjournment in her speech, referred to the Centre's commitment towards Karachi's development. She said that the federal government has yet to come up with a concrete plan for alternative places for the roughly 8,000 displaced people who had encroached upon the KCR tracks.

Opposition leader, PTI's Firdous Shamim Navqi, criticising PPP's policies said, "Treasury members in this House should be ashamed of their remarks and limited knowledge of this project." At this, PPP members protested, forcing him to withdraw his remarks.

"Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA), was working on this project earlier," said Naqvi. "Sindh chief minister is responsible for the failure for of this project. JICA's correspondence with the Sindh government confirms this," he said.

Pakistan Muslim League-Functional (PML-F) MPA Nusrat Seher Abbasi said that the PPP government has only given Karachi 10 buses in the past decade.

Sindh, Railways’ dispute continues over Karachi Circular Railway section

Sindh government once again criticised the Centre for creating problems for power generation in the province. "Islamabad Baboos [bureaucrats] are the hurdles. We have devised different projects of wind and solar," said Energy Minister Imtiaz Shaikh, responding to a call attention notice by PPP MPA Kulsoom Chandio.  "National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) has also fixed the tariff rate, but federal government has not given approval for this," he added.

Local Government Minister Saeed Ghani informed the house that around 1,414 katchi abadies [slums] have been regularised. "People will indulge in untoward activities like land grabbing if we don't give them place to live in," he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 22nd, 2019.

COMMENTS

Replying to X

Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.

For more information, please see our Comments FAQ