HYDERABAD, Nov 10 Reacting to a protest of transporters and people against collection of toll tax on the Hyderabad-Mirpurkhas road at Tandojam, Sindh Minister for Fisheries Zahid Ali Bhurgari has said that a foreign company is constructing the road at a cost of Rs6 billion and therefore the collection of toll tax has become necessary.

Speaking at a news conference in the press club here on Tuesday, the minister said that the road would give a boost to agriculture sector in the area.

Giving details, he said a Korean company, Deokjae, would construct the four-lane road and added that the government had invited tenders through international press. The Korean company had won the contract by quoting the lowest rates.

A public-private board would supervise the project. The Sindh chief minister would chair the board comprising 11 members including the elected representatives and private businessmen, he said.

It will be a 60kme long road and the construction will be monitored by another Korean company, Sambo, which designed the road.

He said the company would complete the road in two -and-a-half years and maintained it for 30 years.

He said the company would also provide a mobile hospital and keep a crane present round the clock to take care of any emergency.

For the convenience of the people, three bypasses are also included in the project, the minister said and added that after completion of the road, it would take only 45 minutes to reach Mirpurkhas from Hyderabad. Now the journey takes two hours.

He said the road would be a central point for the agriculture zone of Umerkot, Chhachhro, Mithi and Sanghar.

He said the spade work had already been started and 22,000 local people would get jobs.

He said the federal government or Sindh government was making no investment on the project. The private company was making the 100 per cent investment.

He dispelled the impression that the rate of toll tax was more than that was being received on the Super Highway and National Highway. No tax would be charged on motorcycles, rickshaws, Tongas and bullock carts, the minister said.