HYDERABAD: Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has conveyed his reservations to federal government over construction of the Hyderabad-Sukkur part (M-6) of Motorway under public-private partnership mode arguing that its Sukkur-Peshawar part was built under CPEC and PSDP.

He took up the matter with Federal Communication Minister Asad Mehmood at a meeting chaired by the CM at Shahbaz Hall here on Friday. Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Memon, Irrigation Minister Jam Khan Shoro, Chief Secretary Dr Mohammad Sohail Rajput and National Highways Authority chairman Mohammad Khurram were among those who attended the meeting. Federal Minister for Water Syed Khursheed Shah joined the meeting through video link.

CM Shah told Mr Mehmood that federal government should assure Sindh government that if developer of [Rs300bn] M-6 was unable to complete the project of such a size, then Centre should intervene to complete it. According to sources privy to the meeting, the federal minister told the CM that such request highlighting concerns of Sindh [government] should be presented to federal government.

CM also sees idea of new dams in province as absurd

The CM wanted to know that why Sindh portions of the Motorway project were preferred for public-private partnership mode when in the rest of the country, they were built with government funding.

He pointed out that the Karachi-Hyderabad (M-9) section was built under public-private partnership mode and now the M-6 section was also being built under the same mode.

“We understand there will be challenges in achieving financial close of the project of such size. So, we say that if developer fails to complete it, then federal government should assure us it will step in,” said the CM.

Mr Mehmood said Sindh government could make such a request and federal government would look into it. CM pressed the point for early financial close of the project so that it could be completed by March 2023.

The meeting was informed that bidding for the construction of M-6 was done by the previous government of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI). “The federal minister visited Sindh to take the provincial government on board for starting work on M-6 early, without waiting for some requirements to be met,” added the source.

CM also talked about the Jamshoro-Sehwan road project, saying that Sindh government had spent Rs7bn on it through at-source deduction in April 2017. Since then, he said, it was moving at a snail’s pace. He said NHA should be directed to expedite pace of work to complete it by the next financial year in order to avoid more casualties in accidents.

The other projects discussed at the meeting were Umerkot-Mirpurkhas and Keti Bunder-Gharo roads; construction of bridges over Indus and 190km Thatta-Keti Bunder road.

New dam in Sindh

Answering questions asked by some journalists after the meeting, CM Shah said that “not only army chief, but others also discussed dams [in Sindh],” and argued: “I have a question for those recommending dam construction … Sindh received 120MAF of water. Can anyone tell me how this huge quantum of water can be taken to Tarbela or [under construction] Diamer Bhasha dam”? He wondered whether a location existed anywhere in Sindh to store this quantum of water.

Asad Mehmood said his ministry was in touch with Sindh government to restore communication links, adding that five to six districts were under floodwaters. He said both governments were working with limited resources.

Published in Dawn, September 17th, 2022