Karachi commissioner asks DCs to remove illegal billboards

Karachi Commissioner Sohail Rajput has directed all deputy commissioners to examine the billboards installed at private properties and remove them if found to be dangerous for the public.

He asked them to ensure that no billboards or advertisement materials were installed at public properties in the city. He also reviewed efforts being made for the revival of the Karachi Circular Railways (KCR).

The commissioner was chairing a meeting held to review steps taken for the implementation of the Supreme Court orders. The meeting was attended by Karachi Metropolitan Corporation’s municipal commissioner Dr Saifur Rehman, all deputy commissioners who are also administrators of their districts, municipal commissioners of all district municipal corporations, KCR project director Amir Daudpota, and senior officials of the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board, the Karachi Urban Transport Corporation and the cantonment boards.

The commissioner asked the Pakistan Railways to expedite the work on the revival of the 44-kilometre-long KCR in pursuance of the apex court’s orders on a priority basis so it could be completed on time in accordance with the orders of the apex court.

The Pakistan Railways and the KCR project director briefed the meeting on the progress of the work initiated by the Pakistan Railways. He shared how they had started work on the revival of the KCR comprising its loop portion of 30kilometers and the Main Line (ML) portion of 14kilometers in pursuance of the Supreme Court orders.

He said the revival work would be carried out in three portions. In the first portion, track-laying and restoration of stations would be completed up to Orangi Station. In the second portion, he said, it will be completed from Orangi to Geelani Station and in the third portion, the work would be undertaken from the Urdu College to the Central Ordinance Depot.

After the first phase of its restoration of old-alignment was completed, he said the KCR track would be dualised and upgraded to the level of ML-1 standard in the second phase. While in the third phase, the KCR would be converted to the Modern Urban Railway on a public-private partnership mode, he added.

Daudpota told the meeting that the work of laying the 14-kilometre track from the Karachi City to Orangi was being carried out at fast pace and hopefully would be completed in the next month.

The issue of the damaged infrastructure of sewerage at the Urdu College towards the Depot Station was also brought in the knowledge of the commissioner. The meeting was told that the damaged infrastructure due to illegal nullahs and sewerage coming from the surrounding unlawful huts was one of the hurdles in the way of completion of the KCR. The KWSB, in the meeting, assured the commissioner that the issue would be resolved for which steps had been initiated.