ISLAMABAD: The government has decided to re-tender Sukkur-Hyderabad Motorway (M-6) project, a critical component of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), after receiving poor response, with only one party showing interest to pick the project on Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode, which is estimated to be completed with Rs175 billion, it is learnt. A senior member of the National Highways Authority (NHA) revealed that only one party had shown interest and opted for pre-bid qualification for Sukkur-Hyderabad Motorway.
The government evaluated the legal aspects, whether it could go with single tender or go for re-tender, the official added. Sources said that negotiations at high-level with the Planning Ministry were under way how to proceed with the project structure. There are several proposals; one is that the project may be divided in three packages.
Further discussions with the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank are also under way, the official added. The Hyderabad-Sukkur Motorway project envisages construction of 306kms long, six-lane wide, access-controlled motorway.
The motorway is proposed to be a high-speed toll road facility for efficient and safe transportation, which will start from Hyderabad (end of Karachi-Hyderabad Motorway M-9) and terminate at Naro Canal (start of Sukkur-Multan Motorway M-5).
The project alignment passes through Jamshoro, Tando Adam, Hala, Shahdadpur, Nawabshah, Moro, Dadu, Naushehro Feroze, Mehrabpur, Rasoolpur, Larkana, Khairpur, and Sukkur. For the Sukkur-Hyderabad Motorway project, an advertisement was released in the national and international print media on October 10, 2016, inviting Expression of Interest (EoI) regarding pre-qualification of firms.
The NHA bid opening/evaluation committee opened technical proposals on February 14, 2017. Subsequent to the finalisation of technical evaluation, financial proposals of all the three bidders were opened on March 7, 2017, and scheduled completion of the project in three years at a cost of Rs175 billion. However, after assuming power, the incumbent government shelved Hyderabad-Sukkur Motorway (M-6) project.
The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) recently approved the project at a cost of Rs175 billion, and the paper work of Sukkur-Hyderabad Motorway is being completed. The NHA official further stated that the government was taking up construction of other projects of the CPEC, and tenders had been invited including the important project of Kuchlak.
He said that tenders were under evaluation and once completed would improve road connectivity under the CPEC network. The NHA is developing epoch-making CPEC project gradually, said the official, adding the road infrastructure played a vital role in socio-economic uplift of the country, and that the responsibility for construction and maintenance of motorways, national highways, and strategic roads was assigned to the NHA.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2020
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