KARACHI: The Sindh government has approved the construction of an expressway connecting the Karachi Port Terminal to Jam Sadiq Bridge.
The decision was made during a session of the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Board, chaired by Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah.
The expressway will span 12.5 kilometers, with a portion of the road elevated and the rest underground. The project will link the Karachi Port Terminal (KPT) with the Malir Expressway at Jam Sadiq Bridge, according to the chief minister.
Shah directed the Sindh local government department to finalize the project in collaboration with the PPP unit, emphasizing that the road will be built using government resources under the PPP model.
In addition to the expressway, Shah announced that the NDD Technology Park will also be developed through public-private partnerships. The Sindh government has allocated 1.7 billion rupees for the project, and the chief minister directed that the agreement for the technology park be finalized within the month.
The PPP policy board also approved a major reforestation project, aiming to cover over 100,000 hectares of land in Sindh.
Assistance will be sought from the Asian Development Bank for reforestation on 88,022 hectares. Shah highlighted that Pakistan’s forest cover stands at only 6% of its land, far below the recommended 25%, as per a 2017 WWF report.
The meeting was briefed that the reforestation efforts will initially focus on the katcha areas of Matiari and Jamshoro districts, with reforestation planned on 34,995 hectares in the project’s first phase.
Expressing dissatisfaction over delays in the Marble City project, the chief minister directed officials to expedite its implementation.
