Karachi: The Senate Standing Committee on Planning, Development and Special Initiatives held a meeting at the Sindh Secretariat, Karachi, under the chairpersonship of Senator Quratulain Marri. Committee members included Senators Jam Saifullah Khan, Atta-ur-Rehman, Dost Ali Jaiser, Zamir Hussain Ghumro, and Ashraf Ali Jatoi, with Senator Saadia Abbasi participating online.
The committee was briefed on ongoing Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) projects in Sindh for FY 2025-26, including the K-IV Water Supply Project for Karachi, Sukkur-Hyderabad-Karachi Motorway (M-6), New Karachi-Hyderabad Motorway (M-10), and Railway Main Line-1 (ML-1) project.
Chairperson Senator Quratulain Marri questioned the Secretary Railways regarding the approval of the PC-I for the Thar Coal Rail Connectivity (Kanetkot) project without consulting the Sindh Government, despite the province being a federal partner. She directed that accountability be fixed for the PC-I cost increase from Rs. 53 billion to Rs. 90 billion and for bypassing the provincial government. Senator Jam Saifullah Khan emphasized that providing accurate information to the Senate Standing Committee is imperative.
The Secretary Railways briefed the committee that the ML-1 project has faced delays since 2015 and that financial assistance from the Asian Development Bank is expected, after which the foundation stone for the Karachi-Rohri section will be laid next year. The Chairperson Planning and Development Board Sindh, Najam Shah, expressed concern over delays in issuance of No Objection Certificates (NOCs) for overhead bridges, directing the Secretary Railways to issue all pending NOCs within a month.
Senator Saadia Abbasi inquired about the Karachi Green Line BRT and Thar Coal Railway projects. CEO PIDCL, Waseem Bajwa, stated that Rs. 3 billion allocated for the Green Line BRT has been fully utilized, and the project is now expected to complete by October 31 next year. Consultants' agreements will be finalized within a month, with progress updates to be shared in the next meeting.
The Chairperson expressed displeasure over the Secretary Communications' absence and announced that the Secretary will now be summoned. An official reported that the tender for the M-6 Motorway has been issued, with work on two sections expected to start by June 2026.
Provincial Minister Jam Khan Shoro highlighted that only 6 out of 27 ongoing projects were transferred to Sindh after the closure of the Pakistan Works Department (PWD). The Chairperson directed the Federal Finance Division to release Sindh's funds immediately, noting that no funds had been released in the last two quarters.
Secretary Roads informed the committee that Tando Allahyar and Rohri road projects would be completed ahead of schedule, with oversight by Chief Minister Sindh Murad Ali Shah. Senator Saadia Abbasi sought an update on the Karachi IT Park, which Federal Secretary Awais Manzoor Sumra said is currently at the tendering stage and funded by Korea.
Additional Secretary Water Resources, Mehr Ali Shah, briefed on the K-IV project, funded by the World Bank. Chairperson Senator Quratulain Marri stressed that Karachi urgently needs water, warning that delays in the K-B Feeder Project would escalate costs. She directed Provincial Secretary Agriculture and Additional Secretary Water Resources to convene a meeting with all consultants, including WAPDA and NESPAK, and instructed the Federal Secretary Planning to report progress within one week, stating she would personally review the project if necessary.