Staff Reporter
Islamabad
Timely completion of Sukkur-Multan section of the Peshawar-Karachi motorway in Pakistan showed the rapid implementation of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
By introducing and installing Chinese equipment, digitalization and automation have been realized for road monitoring, vehicle toll payment, signal management and other functions and the Sukkur-Multan section has become a motorway with the highest degree of smart capabilities in Pakistan, says Chinese scholar Cheng Xizhong in a report published in China Economic Net on Monday.
The Sukkur-Multan motorway is 392 km long and the designated speed is 120 km/h, with a total investment of 2.89 billion U.S. dollars. This motorway was built by a Chinese construction company and financed by the Export-Import Bank of China
According to Chen Xizhong, the motorway will play an important role in promoting the local social and economic development in Pakistan.
The successful completion of this motorway construction is the result of China’s wisdom shared with Pakistan, as well as the active support and participation of the Pakistani government and people.
All this has effectively countered the vicious allegations of ensnaring in a so-called “debt trap” by some western commentators.
During the construction of this motorway, more than 28,900 locals have been employed directly, and more than 40,000 jobs have been created indirectly by stimulating the development of related industries in the areas along the motorway.
In the process of construction, skills and management training have been imparted, and more than 4,500 Pakistani equipment operators and 2,300 Pakistani management and technical personnel have been trained.
During the three years of construction of the Sukkur-Multan motorway, the Chinese company has taken the lead in fulfilling social responsibility and has built schools, roads, bridges, wells, irrigation facilities and other public welfare projects for the villages along this motorway, which embodies the spirit of serving the people whole heartedly.
Also, in the process of project construction, new standards and new technologies have been widely applied. The Sukkur-Multan motorway is now the most advanced in terms of design, has the most advanced intelligent system integration, and laid with advanced modified Chinese asphalt technology in Pakistan. It is also the only motorway with full-line greening and incredible resistance to flooding.
