Murad looks to ADB for help with water, road projects

Sindh’s chief minister informed the Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Thursday that after education, his top priorities are water, sanitation, urban transport and road network, so his provincial government should be assisted accordingly.

CM Syed Murad Ali Shah held a meeting with an ADB delegation that was led by Werner Liepach, the institution’s director general for its Central & West Asia Regional Department (CWRD).

The other delegation members included CWRD Social Sectors Director Rie Hiraoka, ADB Pakistan Director Xiaohong Yang, Senior Project Officer Mian Shaukat Shafi, Senior Program Officer Nasruminallah Mian and Project Officer Sana Masood.

Planning & Development (P&D) Chairman Mohammad Waseem; CM’s Principal Secretary Sohail Rajput; the finance, works & services, transport and education secretaries and other relevant officials also attended the meeting.

The chief executive said he had assigned top priorities to education, health, water & sanitation, urban transport and road network. “The overall improvement of social sectors is the need of the hour, so we are focusing on them.”

CM Shah said his government plans to install a desalination plant to provide potable water to the people of Karachi, adding that similar water supply and drainage schemes are planned for other districts of the province. CWRD DG Werner Liepach assured him of all possible technical and financial support.

Road improvement

P&D Chairman Waseem said that under the ADB-sponsored Sindh Provincial Road Improvement Project of $227.5 million, six roads of 328 kilometres have been constructed and their work has been almost completed. They are in Badin, Tando Mohammad Khan, Matiari, Mirpurkhas, Sanghar, Jacobabad, Kandhkot-Kashmore and Larkana.

CM Shah said the provincial administration has saved Rs38.92 million in the construction of these six roads. Moreover, the Sindh government has worked out a plan to construct three other important roads.

They are a 32km road from the Sehwan railway crossing at N-55 to Dadu via Tilti up to Dadu-Moro Road, a 22km road from Chambar to Tando Allahyar and a 28km road from Jehan Khan (N-65) to Fezu Laro (N-55) via Chak Town of Sukkur-Shikarpur area.

The ADB officials agreed to consider the package of the three roads. They were also told that another 20 roads of 847km have been approved by the chief executive. Their total cost comes to around Rs41.2 billion.

The Provincial Development Working Party and the federal government’s Central Development Working Party (CDWP) have approved them, and now funds are required to start work on them.

These roads are Mehran Highway at Sui Gas Chowk to Hingorja (N-5) Stop via Setharja, Mehran Highway-Paca Chang Stop to (N-5) Bhiria Stop, from Qazi Ahmed to Daur, from Dokri to Radhan via Badah with link to Nasirabad, from TM Khan to Sujawal via Bulri Shah Karim, from Hyderabad to Tando Ghulam Ali via Shaikh Bhirkio, Gulab Laghari with link to Chambar, from Dadloi to Adilpur via Cheechro with link to Pano Aqilvia Rojho, from Thul to Bahu Khoso with links to Allahadad (border of Balochistan), from N-5 to Khairpur-Larkano road via Ahmedpur and Ripri, from Shikarpur to Chak-Jahan Khan with links to Khanpur and Lakhi, Shahdadkot to Ratodero via Mirokhan with link to Mirokhan-Kambar, Shikarpur to Sukkur-Larkana with link to Bado via Dhakan, from Mirpur Mathelo to Khanpur with link to Hayat Pitafi up to Jarwar, from Matiari to Oderolal Town via Nasarpur, from Thatta to Jhimpir via Satayoon Buradabad Road up to Thatta-Hyderabad, from Mithi to Deplo, from Talhar to Digri via Tando Bago, from Indus Highway to Rani Kot and up to Meeri Kot Gate Fountain, from Thul to Jacobabad via Sanhri Sarkar.  

Education

The Sindh Secondary Education Improvement Project is worth $150 million in which the provincial government’s share comes to around $15 million. It has three components: access to quality secondary education, teaching and learning capacity, and improvement in the education system.

CM Shah said he had declared an education emergency during his last tenure, adding that after going through the overall education system, he found that three interventions are required: quality education, improving teaching and learning capacity, and improvement in the education system.

The P&D chairman said the project has been approved by the CDWP and sent to the Executive Committee of National Economic Council for approval. The CWRD DG said the institution would support the project.  

Partnerships

The Enhancing Public-Private Partnerships in Sindh Project is envisaged to strengthen the provincial government’s capacity to select and develop public-private projects and effectively manage fiscal risks related to them.

The P&D chairman said the project would cost $184.13 million in which the provincial administration’s share comes to $64.9 million. The project has already been cleared by the CDWP and is now in progress.  

Red Line

The Karachi Metrobus project’s Red Line busway section has been designed. The Red Line would run from Model Colony to Numaish. The Sindh government wants the ADB to provide financial support in the development of its infrastructure and in the procurement of buses.

The CWRD DG assigned the task to his team members in the country to collect all the relevant documents from the provincial administration so that it could be moved for approval.