Railway police derail KMC road project

City wardens director detained as dispute over railway land turns ugly

KARACHI:

A road project meant to ease traffic congestion between Natha Khan Bridge and Gulistan-e-Jauhar has triggered a confrontation between railway police and Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) staff, with officers halting construction and detaining a city wardens director amid allegations of violence.

According to KMC officials, the dispute erupted during asphalting work on a road near Chakor Nala, where railway police personnel arrived and stopped the work. A heated exchange between railway police and KMC city wardens reportedly escalated into pushing and shoving, creating a tense situation at the site.

KMC officials alleged that Railway Police SHO arrived with a contingent of personnel, detained City Wardens Director Saim Imran and took him away in a police vehicle. They further claimed that he and other KMC staff were subjected to violence.

Railway authorities, however, said the road was being constructed on land belonging to the Karachi Circular Railway (KCR), leading to the dispute. Police said the construction work had been stopped because it was being carried out without the required permission.

Ishrat Hussain, the executive engineer overseeing the development project, strongly criticised the railway police, accusing the SHO of using high-handed tactics against KMC personnel. He said the work was under way when railway police intervened. Hussain alleged that the railway authorities should have raised their objections through official channels.

He also alleged that railway authorities demanded exorbitant sums for issuing no-objection certificates (NOCs), claiming that Rs20m had been paid for the construction of a bridge at Bhains Colony. Hussain also referred to a furniture market along Sehba Akhtar Road that he claimed occupied railway land, asking why no similar action had been taken there.

He said Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab was looking into the matter and maintained that the link road was a public project intended to improve traffic flow, alleging that unnecessary obstacles were being created in its construction.