The Sindh government reviewed the project to construct a bridge on River Indus to connect Kandhkot with Ghotki.
The project would be launched in November under Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode.
Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah issued these directives while presiding over a meeting on road sector on Monday at New Sindh Secretariat.
The chief minister said that there is a huge traffic pressure, particularly of heavy goods transport, at Kandhkot from Punjab. Therefore, there is a dire need to construct a bridge on River Indus to connect Kandhkot with Ghotki.
Highways chief engineer Prem Talrija told the meeting that the proposed bridge has been designed to construct on PPP mode for Rs 7 billion. Working on that mode was in progress and the work on the bridge would be started as soon as the investment is offered, he said.
The chief minister said that necessary progress may be made on PPP mode but by the time work on the project must be stared.
“I want to open it by the end of November,” the chief minister said.
The proposed bridge would be two kilometres (km) long connecting Kandhkot with Ghotki. There would a ten km approaching road from Ghotki and 13 km from Kandhkot.
Planning and Development (P&D) Minister Mir Hazar Khan Bijarani proposed that simply construction of bridge on River Indus would further increase traffic pressure on Kandhkot, therefore a bypass on Kandhkot Thul Road may be constructed to connect it with Indus Highway. The chief minister directed the P&D department to include the proposal of the bypass in the project and start work on it.
Talrija’s briefing to the chief minister on Nawabshah-Ranipur stretching over 134.5 km was left incomplete. This road can be divided into two portions, Nawabshah to Padedan, 67.5 km and Padedan to Ranipur 67 km.
He said that in order to complete residual work a separate PC-I amounting to Rs 179 million is being prepared. The chief minister directed the Works and Services (W&S) Department to approve the PC-I as soon as possible and said, “Then I would provide funds but I want to see this road completed by end of this financial year.”
The chief engineer said that the second portion of the project, Padedan to Ranipur can also be completed shortly if the required funds are released. The chief minister directed P&D department to work out the expenditures on the schemes and give him report for arranging the funds.
The chief minister also directed the W&S department to repair Link Road between National Highway and Super Highway, Karachi. This bridge also needs major repair work, he said, and added this must be started on war footings because it carries the heavy industrial traffic of steel mills and Port Qasim industrial areas.
