The Sindh government and the Center decided on Thursday to build the M6 Motorway from Karachi to Sukkur on a different track rather than starting from Hyderabad to Sukkur.
Additionally, they decided to investigate the potential of constructing the freeway via a consortium that would be established by the federal and Sindh governments, or through a public-private partnership (PPP).
In addition to Chief Secretary Asif Hyder Shah, CM’s Secretary Raheem Shaikh, Secretary Works Mohammad Ali Shaikh, Federal Communication Secretary Ali Sher Mehsud, NHA Chairman Shaharyar Sultan, Director Hassan Shah, Member NHA Sindh Zone Parkash Lehano, and Member West Zone Basharat, the agreement was reached during a meeting at CM headquarters.
The Sukkur-Hyderabad freeway project plan calls for building a six-lane, access-controlled freeway that is 306 kilometers long.
For effective and secure transit, a high-speed toll road facility is being suggested for the motorway, which will begin in Hyderabad and terminate at Naro Canal.
A PPP agreement was signed with a private consortium for M6 construction in December 2022, but the partnership was canceled for an unspecified reason since work could not begin.
To support port traffic as well, the federal minister suggested that the M6 be started from Karachi to Sukkur via Hyderabad rather than Hyderabad to Sukkur. The CM approved the idea and talked about how it will be built.
The federal and provincial governments might work together to build M6 on an equal partnership basis, according to another option that was also explored. “My team will review the proposal and get back to the federal ministry,” CM Shah responded.
In order to open the Lyari Expressway to heavy traffic, the chief minister implored the federal minister to authorize the handover during the meeting.
The Lyari Expressway will be upgraded by the Sindh government within six months, he claimed, before it is opened to heavy traffic.
The CM noted during the meeting that although the 90-kilometer road from Gharo to Keti Bundar had been under construction for 15 years, it had not yet been finished. The work had begun in 2015.
