Karachi-Thatta Dual Carriageway project launched

Sindh govt, FWO sign a concession agreement for constructing the KTDCW, costing around Rs9.9 billion

KARACHI: To assist people across Sindh connect with Thar, the 49-kilometre-long Karachi-Thatta Dual Carriageway (KTDCW) project was launched on Sunday evening.

The project will help the people of Sindh to connect with Thar, a region rich with coal, said Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah while speaking at the ground-breaking ceremony at Ghaggar Phatak in the outskirts of the city. Finance Minister Murad Ali Shah and Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) director-general Muhammad Afzal were also present on the occasion.



The Sindh government and FWO have signed a concession agreement for constructing the KTDCW, which would cost around Rs9.9 billion, said Afzal. According to Murad, around 70% of the project will be financed through public-private partnership, whereas the Sindh government will bear 30% of the cost. "FWO is a partner of [the] Sindh government and not a contractor in this project," he said.

The project aims to convert the two-lane Karachi to Thatta highway (N5) into a four-lane dual carriageway. It will bridge the gap between rural and urban areas and enhance the road quality of the existing N5 highway, added Afzal.

The project also seeks to rehabilitate existing roads and ensure the construction of 16 bridges and 49 culverts. It aims to create opportunities for socio-economic and tourism development in the region.



Even though the estimated time of completion of the project is two years,the FWO DG has promised to complete the project within a year, said Murad. He added that the project will be completed before the budget is announced next year.



The CM said that public-private partnership will help the government to bring an end to corruption and the culture of bribery in the province. The larger economic benefit of this project is, however, linked with connecting this corridor from Thatta onwards to Mithi, taking it further down to Islamkot and Thar, he added.

The coal-based 660 megawatt power project in Thar will be easily accessed after the completion of this project, added Murad.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 6^th, 2016.