KARACHI, April 3: Sindh Chief Minister Arbab Ghulam Rahim on Monday said that Sindh Coastal Highway meant to link Karachi, Thatta, Badin and Ali Bandar would be built in the next fiscal year.

He was addressing a high-level meeting at Chief Minister’s House to review uplift projects in the province. Sindh Additional Chief Secretary (Planning & Development) Ghulam Sarwar Khero, Secretary Finance Asrar Malik, Secretary Communications Faisal Saud and other officials attended the meeting.

Arbab Rahim said that the government would take all possible measures to improve highways and roads in the province. He said that a bridge between Larkana and Khairpur on River Indus would also be constructed. He said that Sindh government had provided communications department with Rs400 million and now it would be reviewed that either work on improvement of roads was carried out satisfactorily or not.

He directed the additional chief secretary to forthwith submit him report after inspecting roads and buildings in various districts of the province.

He asked communications department to pay special attention on the construction of link roads and repair and maintenance of roads instead of initiating new projects so that the existing road network in the province was improved.

He emphasised that repair and construction of roads in the province should not be looked at in a political perspective. All roads would be repaired and constructed without any political affiliations, he added.

The chief minister directed that bypass be constructed at villages and small towns with population exceeding 15,000 and overhead bridges in Kotri, Ranipur and Khairpur districts.

Arbab Rahim said that he would soon undertake visit of various districts of the province to inspect uplift projects.—PPI/APP