Centre, Sindh decide to turn Coastal Highway into economic corridor

KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah and Federal Planning & Development (P&D) Minister Ahsan Iqbal on Tuesday discussed the pending construction of the Coastal Highway and 20 other projects pending with the Planning Commission for want of approval and authorisation.

The meeting held at the CM House decided that the Coastal Highway will be made an economic corridor since it happens to be connected with all the highways leading to Keti Bandar, Karachi and upcountry.

Iqbal said he and Sindh P&D Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah started the second phase of the Coastal Highway by levelling the land at the site on Tuesday, adding that the Makran Coastal Highway was built around 25 years ago, but it had not become an economic corridor.

He emphasised that road sector projects should not only serve as sources of public transport but also evolve into economic zones. The CM mentioned that the Coastal Highway being constructed by the Sindh and federal governments has significant potential for economic activities.

He said the Coastal Highway would provide clear access for goods transport to Karachi and the rest of the country since it connects with the National Highway (N5) and the motorway.

Nasir Shah briefed the meeting on the under-construction Coastal Highway, which spans 279km, beginning at N5 in Gharo, District Thatta, and extending to Ali Bunder, District Badin.

The project was initiated by the provincial government in 2007 as part of the Annual Development Programme. Due to financial constraints, the project will be completed in phases.

Phase-I covers 37km, starting from N5 near Gharo, which was constructed in 2023-24. An additional 11km is currently under construction, which started in the last quarter of 2023 and will be completed within the next five years.

Phase II entails a further 36km, extending the road from 11km to 47km, beginning at Gadajo-Jhapolo Dhand and ending at N110. This phase is included under the Public Sector Development Programme, and is based on the National Highway Authority’s (NHA) CSR 2022.

The scheme is currently under revision due to hyperinflation, and the release of the NHA’s CSR 2024. Construction will commence after the approval of the revised PC-I.

The remaining 195km from Keti Bunder to Ali Bunder via Shah Bunder and Zero Point, Badin, will be initiated later, depending on policy decisions and the availability of funds.

The CM discussed various provincial projects with Iqbal that have been pending revision for the past two years, including the construction of the eastern and the expansion of the southern sewerage treatment plants as part of the Hyderabad Package.

The expansion of the filter plant and the water supply networks to provide clean water to Hyderabad city is also pending. Iqbal assured the CM that their authorisation would be issued shortly.

For the rehabilitation and construction of roads in the SITE Industrial Estate, Karachi, which has been awaiting authorisation since August 13, Iqbal said he would visit the SITE Industrial Area, then get the projects cleared from the Planning Commission.

The CM said the Karachi Urban Infrastructure Development Package is currently in the process of obtaining approval for PC-I, so the second quarter proposal is not feasible at this time. The Planning Commission returned the PC-I for want of detailed estimation.

Moreover, the Hyderabad Urban Infrastructure Development Package (Revamping and Rehabilitation) is also under review for the PC-I approval, so a second quarter proposal is not suggested. Similar to Karachi, the Planning Commission returned the PC-I for want of a detailed estimation.

The prime minister’s programme for the construction and reconstruction of existing schools in Sindh affected by the rain and floods in 2022 (1,800 units) has been cleared in all respects, and the first quarter funding has been released.

Tenders for all schools are currently in the evaluation stage, so an allocation of Rs2 billion is proposed for the second quarter, which is insufficient. Iqbal said more funds would be released once the work is started.

Separately, addressing a Young Parliamentarian Forum delegation, CM Shah emphasised that historical records indicate that in 1919, Sindh was cultivating 4 million acres of land using inundation canals, and according to the Sindh Crop Reporting Services’ figures from 2023, the province now irrigates 4.6 million acres through 14 irrigation canals fed by three barrages in Sindh.

He said Sindh has struggled to increase cultivation due to a persistent water shortage and warned that developing additional canals in this context could threaten the province’s agricultural economy. He pointed out that from 1976 to 2024, there were only two years when the River Indus had a surplus of water; otherwise, the region has experienced a continuous shortage. Since the signing of the water accord, Sindh has faced an average shortfall of 11 per cent.

The delegation urged the CM to provide them with data on available water resources so they could support his cause in parliament. Parliamentarians from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan also expressed their intention to raise the issue in the National Assembly. Senior Minister for Information Sharjeel Memon, Minister for Irrigation Jam Khan Shoro and Minister for Local Bodies Saeed Ghani also attended the meeting. The delegation who called on the CM included President PYF Syeda Nosheen Iftikhar, General Secretary Mir Jamal Khan Raisani, Information Secretary Iqbal Khan, Syed Ali Qasim Gillani, Ali Jan Mazari, Danyal Chaudhary, Raja Osama Sarwar Barrister Aqeel Malik, Miqdad Ali Khan, Saad Waseem, Salahuddin Junejo, Kiran Imran Dar, Muhammad Saadullah, Usman Ali, Akhtar Bibi, Shaista Khan, Pir Ameer Ali Shah Jeelani, Zulfiqar Bachani, Shamoon Hashmi, Muhammad Mushtaq, Zafar Sultan, Raja Muhammad Ali and Muhammad Nauman.