Sindh govt approves Rs6b Ghotki-Ghouspur bridge on Indus River
Revised plan to reduce bridge length by 2.7 kilometres to save Rs916 million
PHOTO: FILE
KARACHI:
The Sindh government approved on Wednesday the new alignment of the Ghouspur-Kandhkot bridge on the Indus River under which the length will be reduced by 2.7 kilometres and Rs916 million will be saved from the total cost of the project.
This was decided at a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, which was attended by provincial ministers Mir Hazar Khan Bijarani and Imdad Pitafi, Planning and Development Chairperson Muhammad Waseem, Principal Secretary to the CM Sohail Rajput, Finance Secretary Hassan Naqvi, Works and Services Secretary Aijaz Memon, senior officers of the public-private partnership unit and others.
Connecting Kandhkot and Ghotki: Construction of Rs7b bridge approved
Bijarani said that the original alignment of the bridge on Indus River was between Ghotki and Kandhkot. The bid was issued against which 20 bidders, both national and international, had participated. By that time, Shah had recommended that the approach road from Ghotki to Kandhkot be changed from Ghotki to Ghouspur.
He said that based on Shah's decision, the advisery consortium's scope of work was revised to rework the construction cost estimates and update the financial model while retaining the same transaction structure. Bijarani said that there was a dire need to revise the alignment with a 5km-long link road to provide a connection to Thul Road, which would carry traffic from Jacobabad and Balochistan.
Longest bridge on River Indus inaugurated at Jhirk
Replying to a question by Shah, the consultant said that the preliminary geometric design of the new alignment on satellite image of a 5km link road connecting to Thul Road has been made. The financial model has also been updated.
The chief minister was informed that the previous alignment was 34.7km, while the new alignment of Ghotki-Ghouspur is 32km and it would save 2.7km. The length of the previous bridge was 2km while the bridge on the new alignment is 1.2km. This also saves a length 800km of the bridge. The cost of the previous alignment was Rs6.952 billion while the cost of the new alignment will be Rs6.036 nillion, saving Rs916 million.
The CM discussed the new alignment at length with the participants, engineers and Bijarani, who belongs to District Kandhkot-Kashmore. Shah approved the new alignment and directed the public-private partnership unit to issue a `Request for Proposal' and invite international tenders within a week so that work on the project could be started within three months.
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He directed the works and services department to consult experts of the irrigation department while executing the project.
On the financial model and structure of the project, the CM was informed that the provincial government would pay 14% equity while private partners would have to put 16% equity and 70% would be the debt. On this, Waseem said that the Asian Development Bank (ADB) was also interested to finance the project. The CM said that he had held a meeting with ADB, in which they were ready to finance the project.
"I am keen to put its foundation stone by December end so that it can be completed within three years," said Shah.
The Sindh government approved on Wednesday the new alignment of the Ghouspur-Kandhkot bridge on the Indus River under which the length will be reduced by 2.7 kilometres and Rs916 million will be saved from the total cost of the project.
This was decided at a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, which was attended by provincial ministers Mir Hazar Khan Bijarani and Imdad Pitafi, Planning and Development Chairperson Muhammad Waseem, Principal Secretary to the CM Sohail Rajput, Finance Secretary Hassan Naqvi, Works and Services Secretary Aijaz Memon, senior officers of the public-private partnership unit and others.
Connecting Kandhkot and Ghotki: Construction of Rs7b bridge approved
Bijarani said that the original alignment of the bridge on Indus River was between Ghotki and Kandhkot. The bid was issued against which 20 bidders, both national and international, had participated. By that time, Shah had recommended that the approach road from Ghotki to Kandhkot be changed from Ghotki to Ghouspur.
He said that based on Shah's decision, the advisery consortium's scope of work was revised to rework the construction cost estimates and update the financial model while retaining the same transaction structure. Bijarani said that there was a dire need to revise the alignment with a 5km-long link road to provide a connection to Thul Road, which would carry traffic from Jacobabad and Balochistan.
Longest bridge on River Indus inaugurated at Jhirk
Replying to a question by Shah, the consultant said that the preliminary geometric design of the new alignment on satellite image of a 5km link road connecting to Thul Road has been made. The financial model has also been updated.
The chief minister was informed that the previous alignment was 34.7km, while the new alignment of Ghotki-Ghouspur is 32km and it would save 2.7km. The length of the previous bridge was 2km while the bridge on the new alignment is 1.2km. This also saves a length 800km of the bridge. The cost of the previous alignment was Rs6.952 billion while the cost of the new alignment will be Rs6.036 nillion, saving Rs916 million.
The CM discussed the new alignment at length with the participants, engineers and Bijarani, who belongs to District Kandhkot-Kashmore. Shah approved the new alignment and directed the public-private partnership unit to issue a `Request for Proposal' and invite international tenders within a week so that work on the project could be started within three months.
Sindh CM to inaugurate Drigh Road underpass on July 20
He directed the works and services department to consult experts of the irrigation department while executing the project.
On the financial model and structure of the project, the CM was informed that the provincial government would pay 14% equity while private partners would have to put 16% equity and 70% would be the debt. On this, Waseem said that the Asian Development Bank (ADB) was also interested to finance the project. The CM said that he had held a meeting with ADB, in which they were ready to finance the project.
"I am keen to put its foundation stone by December end so that it can be completed within three years," said Shah.