Sukkur-Shikarpur highway condition: NHA to suspend official, conduct inquiry

ISLAMABAD: The National Highway Authority (NHA) has decided to suspend a concerned official and launch an inquiry after its chief acknowledged a discrepancy between official claims about maintenance of the Sukkur-Shikarpur highway and the deteriorated condition of the road.

The decision came during a meeting of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Communications, chaired by MNA Aijaz Hussain Jakhrani at Parliament House on Wednesday.

The issue was raised by MNA Muhammad Shaharyar Khan Mahar, who highlighted the poor condition of the Sukkur-Shikarpur highway and frequent accidents on the route. NHA officials told the committee that periodic maintenance work had been completed, but the committee expressed dissatisfaction with their response.

The NHA chief executive officer acknowledged that the officials’ account did not correspond with the actual ground situation. He informed the committee that an M&I report had already been prepared and assured it that the concerned official would be suspended and an inquiry conducted.

The committee was also assured that the inquiry findings would be submitted to it and that the outstanding payment to the contractor would not be released pending the matter.

In another major development, the committee was informed that construction work on the long-delayed Sukkur-Hyderabad Motorway (M-6) would commence by the end of October 2026. The committee decided to visit the project site, hold a meeting there and attend the groundbreaking ceremony.

Reviewing the Ratodero-Gwadar Motorway (M-8), the Ministry of Communications informed the committee that a hydrological study would be undertaken to determine the most suitable design for the area connecting Sindh with Balochistan. The ministry assured the committee that the relevant work would be completed by November 2026.

The committee also expressed serious dissatisfaction over the ministry’s response regarding roads deteriorating shortly after completion because of alleged substandard construction and poor planning. The ministry attributed the deterioration to extreme weather conditions and insufficient maintenance funds, but the committee rejected the response as too general.

It noted that the matter, raised through Starred Question No. 55 by Syed Rafiullah, had remained pending for nearly eight months and directed the ministry to provide a specific and comprehensive response at its next meeting.

The committee also took up concerns over toll collection on roads still under construction, particularly in cases where collection was allegedly contrary to NHA policy and adequate facilities were not available to commuters. It decided to directly consider the terms of reference of its sub-committee at the next meeting.

The sub-committee had also expressed dissatisfaction over the absence of the Secretary Communications and NHA CEO without prior information and what it described as inadequate responses from ministry and NHA representatives.

The committee further reviewed the New Baran Bridge, Dera Murad Jamali Bypass, Bhong Interchange, the poor condition of the Pindi-Batya-Sahianwala Road and progress on the M-10 project.

The matter concerning delayed construction of the Karachi Port-Qayyumabad Road was deferred after MNA Syed Hafeezuddin sought time to redraft the agenda for consideration at the committee’s next meeting.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026