Syed Murad Ali Shah, the Chief Minister of Sindh, chaired a collaborative session between the National Highway Authority (NHA) and the provincial Works & Services department to assess the advancement of multiple road infrastructure initiatives managed by the NHA. During the meeting, Shah emphasized the imperative of transferring authority over critical road arteries, including the Lyari Expressway, Karachi-Thatta, and Mirpurkhas-Umerkot road, to the provincial government. He underscored the necessity for this transfer to facilitate not only the efficient maintenance and repair of these thoroughfares but also to optimize their utility for heavy traffic.
Chief Minister said that the substantial completion of the M9 – N5 Link Road Project was achieved in July 2023, with 7.2 km out of a total 21 km of the road open for traffic with partial toll. The remaining work, the construction of the Interchange at M9, was initially under the scope of the Sindh government. “After detailed discussions, NHA told the Sindh government that it [NHA] is bound to get any new infrastructure development inside the Right of Way (ROW) of M-9.
Subsequently, the MoU was signed at approximate cost including escalation charges and NHA charges between the Works Dept and NHA for the construction of an Interchange at M9 for Rs. 3.5 billion in February 2024. Murad Shah urged the NHA to revisit the cost of the M9 interchange as the provincial government has to bear a huge burden as the cost is exorbitantly high. At this, the NHA chairman assured the chief minister that his technical team would reconsider the construction cost. De-federalization of Karachi-Thatta dual carriageway: Discussing the project, the CM said that the National Highway Authority (NHA) handed over the Karachi-Thatta-Hyderabad section (N-5) to the Sindh government in January 2012. In the handing over letter the NHA said that the road would not be de-federalized but the NOC being be granted to the provincial government for its development and dualization on PPP/BOT basis as NHA’s deposit work.
The CM urged the NHA to de-federalized the Karachi-Thatta – Hyderabad Section (N-5), as the Government of Sindh constructed dual carriageway at Section (N-5) from Karachi to Thatta for Rs8.2 billion under Public Private Partnership Modality and was unable to collect project revenues such as Commercial revenues, issuance of NOCs to the utility providers etc. He added that apart from toll collection, other revenues from utility providers, right of way (ROW) fees, and NOC charges from Petrol Pumps, therefore it was imperative to seek complete ownership of the road. The chairman of NHA said that it was a policy decision and it would be discussed with ministry. Murad Ali Shah said that work on 130 km Jamshoro – Sehwan road was started by NHA in 2018-19. Initially, it was an asset of NHA but the Sindh government has also contributed Rs. 7 billion in its rehabilitation. Shah said that the progress on the project was terribly slow.
“The divider are low in height (like M9) causing severe glare of light / disturbance of opposite side traffic, therefore it is imperative to increase the height of divider in order to decrease glare of light / disturbance for opposite side traveler,” he said and added the straightening of curves at some locations between Jamshoro – Sehwan must be eased out/redesigned to avoid accidents, specially the curve near Amri and curve at Peer Mard in BaghoThoro area. According to shah the =rate of accidents per year on this particular road is higher than whole country.
He added that this road has taken the lives of hundreds of innocent’s travelers as well as have made hundreds of lives incapacitated. He said that during Rains 2022, newly built track was under water near Laki Shah Saddar, which required consideration by the department for its re-design. Keeping in view the recent Flood / Rain situation, Sha said that sufficient water drains / openings should be given to face any hard happenings. Murad Shah said that at various locations, it has been observed that the grades and cross sections, slopes were not designed well resulting in accumulation of water on the road so the newly built road in some portions have been settled. He added thaty unlike rail-road, the bridges / culverts have not provided on dual carriageway on various places which causes several damages to newly constructed road.
The chairman NHA assured the chief minister that all the issues of design and defects would be addressed and work on the road has already sped up work on the raod and would be completed at the earliest. Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah said that the Ghotki-Kandhkot bridge connectivity at N5 and N55 project encompasses two main components, namely the main project highway, including a 12.2 Km long bridge over the river Indus, commencing from Ghotki (N-5) and concluding at Kandhkot (N-55).
