The Caretaker Sindh Chief Minister Justice (r) Maqbool Baqar has urged the federal government to start work on the Hyderabad-Sukkur M6 Motorway, especially on the sections where the land acquisition issues have been resolved. I know that the construction of M6 was stopped because of the land acquisition scandal. But now that process has been completed by the [concerned] committee, he said while chairing an official meeting in Sehwan, Jamshoro district, on Saturday.
The meeting was attended by Sindh Minister for Irrigation Ishwarl Lal, Chief Secretary Sindh Dr Fakhre Alam, Secretary Irrigation Niaz Abbasi, Secretary Works Nawaz Soho, Commissioner Hyderabad Khalid Hyder Shah, DIG Hyderabad Tariq Dharejo, CEO Peoples Housing Scheme and other officials.
The CM directed the divisional administration to ensure the smooth completion of all the projects involving land acquisition. He asked the chief secretary to talk to the federal government and ensure early resumption of the stalled work on M6. Baqar directed the divisional administration to focus on facilitating general elections and strengthening the drive against electricity theft in addition to the price control operations against hoarders and illegal profiteers. He underlined the need to resolve the issues concerning traffic congestion, parking problems and improvement of the infrastructure, particularly parks and playgrounds.
The CM said the administration should unwaveringly support the routine immunization programs especially the polio eradication campaign as per the National Emergency Action Plan.
The CM directed the police to evolve a comprehensive strategy to eliminate the menace of gutka and maipuri in the entire Hyderabad Division. Commissioner Shah briefed the CM about the progress of the under-construction of Hyderabad-Sukkur motorway. He said that out of the motorway’s total length of 396 kilometres, some 105 km of M6 would pass through the districts of Hyderabad Division for which 2,428 acres land was required. He added that the land acquisition process was stopped temporarily due to the embezzlement of funds meant for the land purchase through the deputy commissioners. However, he continued, the process restarted following the rectifications and a committee under his office had completed the joint surveys and fresh demarcations with the digital coordinates.
