Resolve KCR land issue, orders CM

CM issues directives while presiding over a meeting of the Transport and Mass Transit department

KARACHI:

Caretaker Sindh Chief Minister Justice Maqbool Baqar has directed the Transport and Mass Transit Authority to prepare a comprehensive presentation for Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) by removing all the bottlenecks so that it could be approved in the meeting the Chinese authorities have convened next month in Beijing.

The transport issue of the city would be resolved when KCR, the BRTs, and their feeder projects are completed and enabled to supplement and complement each other, otherwise, the issue would remain unabated.

He issued these directives while presiding over a meeting of the Transport and Mass Transit department to review the progress of their ongoing projects here at the CM House. The meeting was attended by Chief Secretary Dr Fakhre Alam, Planning and Development Chairman Shakeel Mangejo, PSCM Agha Wasif, Transport Secretary Asad Zamin, and others.

Zamin briefing the CM on KCR said that the project would cost around $2 billion. The KCR route connects high-density residential areas of Gulistan-e-johar, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Nazimabad, and North Nazimabad with business districts of Karachi ­ Shahra-e-Faisal, II Chandigarh Road and Merewether Tower and with the Sindh Industrial and Trading Estate (SITE) area.

Secretary Transport told the CM that the planning was underway to construct the under-construction BRT Red Line project up to the Tower. 

CM in casualty ward

Caretaker Sindh Chief Minister Justice (retd) Maqbool Baqar during his surprise visit to Jinnah Post Medical Center (JPMC) interacted with the patients in the emergency and surgical wards. The caretaker Chief minister witnessed the condition of the hospital, the pharmacy, the kitchen, and the washrooms and issued necessary directives for improvements.

The interim CM on Wednesday afternoon paid a surprise visit to the JPMC where he was received by Executive Director Prof Shahid Rasool and they both visited the Emergency. The JPMC ED Prof Shahid told the CM that on average 1600 patients visit emergency every day. To a question, he informed the CM that in the morning shift, 355 patients were brought to the emergency, and most of them were of Road Traffic Accident (RTA).

The CM was told that the 25 house officers, four medical officers, and eight senior doctors were working in the Emergency. The eexecutive director requested the CM to grant him permission to appoint nurses and paramedical staff.

The CM visited the washrooms of the emergency where he expressed his displeasure. He directed the Executive Director to improve janitorial services. "The washrooms must be kept neat and clean", he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 14^th, 2023.