The Supreme Court Tuesday ordered Secretary Railway to inform the court about the final date for revival of Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) and local train operation in the metropolis in the hearing, scheduled for August 9, 2019.
At Karachi Registry, a three-member bench headed by Justice Gulzar Ahmed and comprising Justice Faisal Arab and Justice Sajjad Ali Shah also directed the Sindh government to inform the court about the progress on revival of KCR and local train in Karachi.
The bench issued these directives after it resumed the hearing on a case pertaining to revival of KCR and local train in the city. Justice Gulzar Ahmed remarked that Railway has claimed to operate more than 100 trains when Advocate General Sindh Salman Talabuddin informed the court that Railway have no locomotives for KCR. "From where a new train is coming on the track after every few weeks," Justice Gulzar said.
Justice Sajjad Ali Shah said that we have heard that these are actually old locomotives, which are now being brought on the track by presenting them as new.
Secretary Railway told the court that Railway has not the capacity to roll out locomotives and these are imported. He said that tracks are also imported.
Bench observed that Railway didn't manufacture the locomotives in the country and import that as it involved commission and kickbacks. Justice Gulzar remarked that apparently everything has frozen here.
Court chided Secretary Railway for failure to clear the track of KCR even after passage of three months of orders issued in this regard. Court ordered Secretary Railway to revive both KCR and local train after reprimanded him for not knowing the difference between the two.
Court also asked him why he came in the court if he was not prepared to answer the queries of the court. Meanwhile, the bench chided K-Electric (KE) and municipal authorities over the killing of several persons due to electrocution in the metropolis during the latest rains.
Justice Faisal Arab said that as many 22 children in Karachi and Sindh were electrocuted in the rains, but it didn't impact any one. Advocate General Sindh told the court that action was taken against KE over these deaths. However Justice Gulzar Ahmed said that what alternative city has if Abraaj Group, which hold majority stakes in the utility moves out.
During the hearing, justice Gulzar in an apparent reference to Governor Sindh and Mayor Karachi commented that they were enjoying "hot tea" when people were suffering due to problems caused by the heavy downpour.
During the hearing of a case of amenity plot adjacent to amusement park in Gulshan Iqbal, court summoned a member of Board of Revenue Sindh. Justice Gulzar Ahmed said that whole of Karachi has been sold off on fake letters when court was informed that land was allotted after a committee gave the permission for its regularization.
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