SC hints at contempt notices for top officials if KCR not restored in 6 months

Government departments including the police are involved in leasing the land illegally, says CJP

KARACHI: The Supreme Court (SC) on Friday hinted that contempt notices would be issued to Prime Minister Imran Khan and Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah if the Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) is not made operational within the next six months.

The hearing over the mass transit project was held at Karachi's Supreme Court Registry and Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed presided over the bench.

During Friday's hearing, the provincial advocate general presented a plan for restoration of the transit project and claimed that progress has been made.

The secretary railways, also present during the hearing, also seconded the law official's claims and said work to restore KCR had commenced.



The chief justice asked what "were you doing before"? He further asked what measures were taken by Pakistan Railways officials earlier to restore the project.

“You are not competent to run this intuition. We know that you won’t restore the circular railway. You are giving people false hopes."

The railways secretary assured the chief justice that KCR would be restored, however, the chief justice said the authorities must also take into account grievances of the citizens.

“The federal government is sleeping,” Justice Ahmed said. “Look where the world is going and look where we are."

President Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Karachi chapter, Firdous Shamim, opposed the demolition of encroachments for the restoration of the mass transit project.

"We should summon the prime minister and the Sindh chief minister and ask about KCR’s progress. If the KCR is not operational within six months, then the prime minister would be given a contempt notice too.”

The chief justice further said government departments including the police are involved in leasing the land illegally.



“There is a reason that land worth Rs0.5 million is sold for Rs25,000 and the land worth Rs10 million is sold for Rs2 million. Land should be taken back from whoever has taken it illegally.”

The court further ordered the Sindh government to assist the railway department in restoring the circular railways.