Islamabad:
The National Assembly Committee was informed on Thursday that the feasibility study for the M-10 Hyderabad-Karachi highway is in its final stages and is expected to be completed in December.
The panel of the House of Representatives was chaired by Mna Mirza Ikhtiar Baig.
The officials told the committee that the project would cost more than RS68 billion and was seen as a long -term solution for the congestion of Karachi traffic. The work is also underway in the technical viability of the Lyari highway, while the acquisitions for the Hyderab-Sukkur highway project have already begun, and the construction is expected to begin in June of next year. During the informative session, the officials of the National Highway Authority (NHA) said that any project could only be included in the Public Sector Development Program (PSDP) through the Federal Budget, and added that the budget manufacturing process would begin in March.
The Committee sought a response from NHA officials because of its recommendation to include the Lyari high load corridor (LEFC) in the PSDP.
The NHA informed the committee that the financing of the LefC project was already being secured by another institution through the Exim Korean bank, while the Karachi Port Trust (KPT) was also working on the same project. “Since the project was found feasible, we changed our approach to the northern bypass,” NHA officials said.
The president of the Committee, Mirza Ikhtiar Baig, said they would address the issue of the LefC project with KPT and inform. He pointed out that land acquisition for Hyderabad-Sukkur highway remained a complicated problem since provincial governments were also involved. He said the committee would add a separate note on the matter.
Separately, the committee was informed that repair works on the Mirpurkhas-Murkot road had been completed, while the approval of the Ranipur-Mumer Road project had also been granted. A committee member asked about the timeline for its beginning.
