Bilour for early completion of KCR

Japanese Ambassador Hiroshi Oe called on Minister for Railways Haji Ghulam Ahmed Bilour here on Thursday and discussed bilateral issues, including Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) project. The Minister for Railways requested the Japanese envoy for early completion of the KCR project as it would help in addressing transport problems of the mega city in coming years.
He said when the British tram system in Karachi became redundant in early 70s, all the traffic pressure was born by the Karachi Circular Railways. However, due to poor maintenance by Pakistan Railways, aging railway hardware, more efficient alternate means of public and private transportation, the importance and utility of KCR dwindled in late 1990s. He also said Pakistan attached great importance to its relations with Japan and wanted to further strengthen them through people-to-people contacts. He said that Japan had always stood by the Pakistani people in time of crises. He specially acknowledged the assistance extended by Japan in post-floods reconstruction process in Punjab, Sindh and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa provinces.