Uganda Railways Corporation has started demolishing illegal structures along the Meter Gauge Railway and arresting vandals, as it gets ready to rehabilitate the railway.
In a statement, URC says it has recived funds from the Government of Uganda to rehabilitate the railway from from Malaba to Kyengera, from Tororo to Pakwachi through Gulu.
“Uganda Railways Corporation (URC) has received funds from the Government of Uganda to rehabilitate the Meter Gauge Railway from Malaba to Kyengera, from Tororo to Pakwachi through Gulu. The Corporation is also slated to receive funds in the near future to construct the SGR from Kampala to Kasese, URC says, adding:
“”It is true that in recent months a number of wrong people have intensified illegal activities within the railway reserves, which are defeating Government’s objective of revamping Railway Transport in the country.
I&M Bank launches IMBRISK to facilitate cross-border banking across East Africa“In preparation for these projects, URC has conducted various exercises among which is the Resettlement Action Plan (RAP) whose cutoff date was May 2022, held meetings with various Local and National Leaders, defended URC and won some cases where some encroachers opted to seek legal redress, signed off some commitments to stop the encroachment with some of the stakeholders and also carried out public sensitization to stop encroachment and vandalism.
The cutoff date of May 2022 was agree with all Stakeholders – it was agreed that after this date no one would be allowed to carry out any new activity or do any kind of settlement in the railway reserves.
“Therefore, effective 1st August 2022, URC embarked on continuous demolition of all structures, removal of all activities or settlements that came after the cutoff date from all railway reserves nationwide. URC will continue to demolish and all the new structures relentlessly and prosecute all encroachers until the vice stops. Similarly, in collaboration with all Security Agencies URC will arrest and prosecute all vandals and their customers/accomplices along all the railway corridors. The Public is requested to cooperate.”
