ONE of the top priorities in Sindh's annual development programme 2011-12 is the initiation of Sindh Highways Net- work Plan under public-private partnership.

This plan envisages construction of 11 dual highways, stretched over 1,300 kilometres in the next three years, at an estimated cost of Rs105 billion. This plan includes building of another two bridges on the Indus. An adequate amount is to be allocated for the SHNP project during 2011-12.

Sindh planners disclosed that this programme was prepared based on development philosophy that no progress in agriculture, industrial and social sectors was possible without building and upgrading the communication system, particularly a vast network of best available dual highways and bridges in the province.

The economic managers, engaged in giving final shape to this plan, said owing to unprecedented damage caused to whole road network including highways in the last year's unprecedented floods, it had become necessary to prepare such a programme to restore Sindh's economy and speed up development in all sectors.

These experts emphasised that Sindh's speedy development needed construction of more and more bridges on the Indus to connect parts of Sindh situated on both side of Indus banks.

Officials said a “Viability Gap Fund (VGF)” would be created in the next financial year to fund road building projects. The VGF is proposed to be co-funded by the Sindh government and foreign donors.

They said, 30 per cent of the fund is to be provided by the Sindh government for SHNP. The World Bank, Asian Development Bank and the USAID have also agreed in principle to contribute to the proposed fund. If the federal government desires it can also be one of the contributors.

The road network plan would be implemented in two phases. The first phase to be executed during 2011-13 includes construction of 11 roads and two bridges. Of these, six roads and two bridges are: Ratodero-Thamim-Jacobabad (61km), Humayun-Thull-Kandkot (70km), QaziAhmed-Nawabshah-Sanghar-Mirpurkhas (162km), Hala-Shadadpur-Sanghar (69km), Karachi-Thatta-Badin-Mithi-Islamkot (296km), National Highway-Super Highway Link (26 km), and Qadirpur-Kandkot bridge and Jhirk-Mullah Katiyar bridge.

To select suitable private companies in a transparent manner for the project, Expression of Interest (EOI) for financial services would be invited. Then the interested firms would be short listed and request for proposals would be sent to the short-listed firms. The firms would submit their technical proposals on the basis of which the firm would be finally selected.

Fazlullah Qureshi, a former Additional Chief Secretary, Planning and Development, Sindh, said the idea of public-private partnership was not bad but it should ensure that project risks were shared by both the parties.

Similarly, Hashim Laghari, former provincial secretary, Irrigation, Sindh, endorsed the public-private partnership proposal on the ground that the provincial government could not have adequate funds if people did not pay taxes. This programme offers a ray of hope. However, he suggested that there was need to form a body which ensured the quality of the project as well as was responsible for a fair fixation of toll to be collected on vehicles plying on these roads.