M-6 Sukkur-Hyderabad project to be prioritised under PSDP, NA body told

ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Communications Thursday assured the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Communications that the M-6 Sukkur-Hyderabad project would be prioritised under the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP), China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), and financial assistance from Azerbaijan to ensure its completion in a single phase.

The committee in a meeting chaired by its Chairman Aijaz Hussain Jakhrani reviewed PSDP schemes for the upcoming financial year 2025-26.

The Ministry of Communications informed the committee that the schemes preparation process is under way, following the PSDP formulation guidelines were issued by the Ministry of Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives on January 29, 2025.

The committee expressed dissatisfaction, emphasising that despite repeated recommendations in the last three meetings, the Ministry of Communications neither expedited the process nor coordinated with relevant ministries for the schemes’ timely submission. As a result, the committee was unable to review and provide recommendations before the March 1st deadline.

Unlike other ministries, which submitted their schemes on time, the Ministry of Communications failed to do so, despite the budget call circular was issued to all the ministries on January 29, 2025.

The ministry informed that the PSDP will be submitted on March 17, 2025, during the next standing committee meeting after thorough consultations with the Ministry of Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives.

It was informed that the number of ongoing schemes will be reduced from 105 to 80 based on priority to make space for the new national-level projects, including M-6.

The committee directed the ministry to present its final decision on March 17, 2025. T committee chairman instructed that the secretary of the Ministry of Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives be invited to attend in person. The ministry shared the PSDP schemes related to Pakistan Post and the National Transport Research Centre before the committee. The ongoing schemes were also reviewed along with their details.

The committee instructed the ministry to present clear priorities for these schemes in the next meeting. The ministry emphasised the importance of completing ongoing projects before initiating new ones. The committee was briefed that the salaries of the Highway and Motorway Police were not equivalent to those of the district police. It recommended adjustment to ensure parity in the next finance bill.

The committee directed that local residents should be exempt from toll taxes.

Regarding the calling attention notice on the increased toll taxes on M-9 and N-5, as well as the excessive number of toll plazas/stations not adhering to the required 35 km gap, the committee recommended that the concerned official from the NHA, along with the member who moved the calling attention notice, may visit the area and submit a report to the committee for further recommendations.

The ministry presented a one-page summary of all the ongoing schemes, as directed by the committee, including all relevant details.