Sindh CM regrets exclusion of Hyderabad-Sukkur Motorway from CPEC projects

Caretaker Sindh Chief Minister Justice (retd) Maqbool Baqar has strongly regretted the exclusion of Hyderabad-Sukkur Motorway project from China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and sought the interim prime minister’s help in this regard, reported 24NewsHD TV channel on Sunday.

In a letter written to PM Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar, the Sindh chief minister urged appealed the premier to personally intervene and facilitate the completion of the M-6 motorway.

In the letter, Maqbool Baqar said that while all sections of the Peshawar to Karachi motorway have been successfully completed, a crucial link from Hyderabad to Sukkur remained unfinished, causing significant concern.

The chief minister highlighted that the M-6 project was initially a part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) framework. However, it was regrettably removed from CPEC by the federal government without providing specific reasons.

The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) initially approved the M-6 project in July 2020, estimating a cost of Rs165.678 billion. Subsequently, in May 2021, the project cost was revised to Rs191.471 billion. Finally, in December 2022, it was decided to be executed under the public-private participation mode.

“The project was approved for implementation under the build-operate-and-transfer framework with a cost of Rs308.194 billion,” stated the Sindh chief minister.

Recent developments include the National Highway Authority (NHA) cancelling the agreement awarded to the Techno-CMC-ACC Consortium. The cancellation was based on the company’s failure to complete its financial close within the given timeframe.

Maqbool Baqar requested the government to direct the competent authority to accelerate the completion of the M-6 project.