ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif directed the authorities to promptly start work on the Hyderabad-Sukkur Motorway, which is now expected to cost almost Rs400 billion.

The prime minister issued these directives on Monday while chairing a meeting to review work on all motorways and national highways.

The meeting reviewed several projects, including the Hyderabad-Sukkur-Motorway, Ratodero-Gwadar Motorway, Karachi-Hyderabad Motorway, Karachi-Quetta-Chaman National Highway and some portions of Karakoram Highway.

The meeting was told that the revised estimated cost of the Hyderabad-Sukkur Motorway has escalated by around 25 per cent in two years, according to a press release issued by the Prime Minister’s Office.

Project cost went up by 25pc in two years; premier reviews arrangements for Haj pilgrim

It is now expected to be constructed at a cost of Rs399bn against Rs308.19bn in 2022.

The meeting was apprised that the 306km project would cost Rs355bn if completed through the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP).

In contrast, if the project is completed through Public-Private Partnership, its cost would be Rs399bn.

The meeting was told that the National Highway Authority (NHA) has engaged various stakeholders, including the World Bank, Qatar, Azerbaijan, and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, for investment.

In view of the current policy rate and financial viability of the project, it is expected that the project will be initiated through Public Private Partnership, the NHA chairman told the meeting.

The government has also discussed the project in the Joint Working Group of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to include the highway in the the megaproject.

The contract for the Hyderabad-Sukkur Motorway, won by construction firm Techno, was cancelled in February 2024.

The bid submitted by Techno was Rs307.71bn, higher than the bid by Zahir Khan & Brothers (Pvt.) Ltd (ZKB), which was Rs275.25bn.

However, ZKB demanded Rs37bn as capital viability gap funding (VGF), while Techno demanded Rs9.5bn.

The latter didn’t demand any operational VGF, while ZKB demanded Rs143.9bn.

Meanwhile, Techno promised NHA a revenue share of Rs73.58bn, against Rs20.11bn by ZKB.

Low budget for NHA

The NHA chairman, Sheheryar Sultan, said in the current fiscal year, the progress on road projects has been stagnant as NHA has only been granted Rs161bn against its demand of Rs600bn.

The NHA was working to enhance the allocation for projects where the physical progress was above 50 per cent, the chairman said.

PM Shehbaz formed a steering committee to monitor these projects and said that all projects of national importance should be completed on a priority basis.

He also directed the authorities to take stern action against those involved in the theft of fences installed along the motorway. He stressed the need for improving policing and patrolling on highways.

The meeting was apprised that fences were erected along 4,027km of motorways, of which 859km of fences have either been stolen or damaged.

As a result, 36 accidents have been repor­ted on motorways during the last four years.

Haj preparations

In a separate meeting on Monday, PM Shehbaz reviewed preparations for Haj 2025 and vowed not to tolerate any negligence in preparations for the religious ritual as pilgrims were “the guests of Allah Almighty”.

The prime minister issued directives to ensure all possible facilities and assistance to the pilgrims.

He sought a comprehensive briefing on the preparations, with details about the selection criteria of Haj assistants, their responsibilities and other arrangements.

The PM ordered the best possible training facilities for the pilgrims, besides ensuring the selection of capable officers with good repute for Haj duty.

He said merit and transparency must be ensured in the deployment of the helpers.

The meeting was briefed in detail about progress on the Haj Fund, which was in final stages.

The meeting was told that like the previous year, SIM cards will be provided to the pilgrims from Pakistan and a mobile application for their assistance has been made operational.

Published in Dawn, January 21st, 2025