The CJP deserves hosonnas for ordering that all bottlenecks and illegal constructions which have blocked the railway track of Karachi’s circular railway system be removed but he would have to keep a strict vigil on the pace of implementation of his directive as administration of Karachi is notorious for playing into the hands of various mafias that have encroached on government property, including that of the railways.
The issue of restoration of the circular railway in Karachi has been hanging fire since long due to indifference of the local administration to similar orders of the courts in the past also . It would be a great public service if the circular railway is restored as it would ease the transport problem of Karachites to a great extent. Railway is a poor man’s transport and that is the precise reason why most of the governments in this country which were elite_friendly gave a step_motherly treatment to it up till now.
It is about time the Railway ministry gave priority attention to the replacement of the existing railway track in the country which has completed its shelf life and which is the main cause of railway accidents galore . The railway minister wasn’t wrong when he said recently that if it wasn’t replaced soon the very existence of railway system in the country would be in a jeapordy before long. It is pity that while neighbouring India has been developing its railway system since 1947, on the contrary, we could not even maintain the railway structure inherited by us at the time of partition of the sub-continent from the Brits.