Construction of all 5 M-6 sections to start at once
HAMZA HABIB
ISLAMABAD: Construction work on all five sections of Hyderabad-Sukkur Motorway (M-6) will start simultaneously in this financial year.
This was stated by National Highways Authority (NHA) Chairman Muhammad Shehryar Sultan in his presentation to the Senate Standing Committee on Communications.
To a query that only Rs15 billion were allocated in the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) for M-6, he said this amount is for overall supervision of all five sections of this project.
“Our discussions with multilateral agencies and other investors are in final stages and hopefully by March or April next year, work on all the five sections will start simultaneously,” he remarked.
He clarified that that the allocated Rs15 billion could not be spend on one section because the donor agencies do not finance ongoing projects.
He said for this 306km long project, the revised Rs363.70 billion cost recommended by the Central Development Working Party (CDWP), whereas, its construction period is 30months.
He said sections 1 and 2 to be taken up under Public-Private Partnership (PPP) mode. Whereas, discussions held with International Finance Corporation (IFC) and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), whereby, the IFC will provide transaction advisory and AIIB to provide the required Viability Gap Fund (VGF).
He said fruitful discussions made under the auspices of Economic Affairs Division with OPEC Fund and SFD (Saudi Fund for Development) for taking up jointly Section 3. In parallel, Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) has indicated financing of $475 million for 4 and 5 sections. Shehryar Sultan pointed out that request for allowing advance procurement has been discussed with the IsDB and formal approval is being processed.
The committee was apprised regarding the possibility of funds availability for the construction of the Sehwan Bypass under the CAREC Tranche-1 Project.
The NHA chairman said the PC-1 of the CAREC Tranche-1 Project was approved by ECNEC on 26th July 2017 at a cost of Rs21 billion.
Subsequently, the 1st Revised PC-I was approved by ECNEC on 30th December 2024, with an updated cost of Rs29.97billion. For the fiscal year 2025-26, an allocation of Rs1.32 billion. The project is financed by the ADB under loan amounting to $80 million, which is scheduled to close on 31st December 2025. Moreover, M/s DONGIL Engineering (Joint Venture), South Korea, has been engaged as the Design Review and Supervisory Consultant for the project.
The committee was informed that Sehwan Bypass cannot be included in the ADB-funded CAREC Tranche-1 project, which is at the closing stage.
The revised PC-I has been approved with a completion date of 31st December 2025, and no additional scope can be accommodated. It was noted that ADB approval and policy compliance would be required for any new works, while land acquisition funds are not available.
With two sections completed and the third near completion, it was suggested that the Sehwan Bypass be taken up through a separate PC-I in the upcoming PSDP.
The committee was briefed by the NHA regarding the flood-affected portion of the Indus Highway, damaged during the Manchar Lake Floods of 2022.
It was informed that the segment has been restored as two-lane road.
Committee members also referred to the recent Babusar Top incident, questioning why the NHA did not take preventive measures to stop tourists from entering the area despite being aware of the risks.
Members pointed out that on the motorways, if a vehicle is found overspeeding, the driver is immediately detained, the family is left behind, and in some cases, rudebehaviour is reported from motorway officials.
They questioned why similar strict actions could not be taken to stop tourists from heading towards hazardous areas such asBabusar Top.
Furthermore, the committee directed that Motorway Police officials should be instructed to avoid misconduct with the public.
In response, the chairman of the committee recommended summoning the IG Motorway Police for a detailed briefing on the matter.
The committee sought a comprehensive list of 43 deputationists (BS-16 and above) serving in the National Institute of Health (NIH), including details such as names, designations, qualifications, parent departments, duration of deputation, and number of extensions granted.
The NHA chairman informed that out of 20,900 employees, 43 were initially on deputation, now reduced to 39.
A member termed the situation alarming, highlighting that as per court directives, deputation should not exceed three years, whereas, several officers at NHA have exceeded this limit.
Concerns were raised about irrelevant postings, including MBBS/BDS doctors and officials from NDMA, whose qualifications do not align with NHA’s mandate.
It was questioned why such non-competitive appointments were made instead of hiring professionals through a merit-based process.
Following this, the chairman committee recommended that the detailed discussion will be held in the next meeting.
