• Minister Nasir Shah states that the DHA is willing to purchase desalinated water KARACHI: Murad approves G2G agreements for mega projects to be launched through public-private partnership Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has approved multibillion-rupee projects for the construction of a 17-story technology park at the NED University of Engineering and Technology and a desalination plant for the Defense Housing Authority (DHA).
Mr. Shah presided over the 46th meeting of the PPP Policy Board, which took place on Friday at the CM House and gave him an update on a number of significant projects.
The Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation (KWSC) was informed at the meeting that it was going to start a seawater desalination project to provide Karachi residents with clean drinking water. The structure of the project had already been approved at the 40th meeting of the PPP Policy Board, and the process to find investors had begun.
“The design-build-finance-operate-transfer (DBFOT) model will be used to acquire this project, which will permit the private partner to finance it in exchange for availability and variable payments. In order to facilitate sales of bottled water with excess capacity, the private partners are permitted to construct a facility with a higher capacity (up to 46 MGD). A press release issued by the CM House following the meeting stated, “This strategy aims to significantly reduce the overall tariff and enhance the project’s viability.”
It stated that a Kuwaiti company had expressed an interest in the plant’s installation. The CM was informed by the Minister of Planning and Development, Nasir Shah, that the DHA authorities were open to purchasing desalinated water.
The CM directed the local government department, the water utility, and the PPP unit to finalize the requirements and begin the project after approving the Government-to-Government (G2G) agreement.
NED Science and Technology Park The CM was informed that a G2G arrangement with a Kuwaiti company is establishing the NED Science and Technology Park.
He mentioned that he had already approved Rs1.7 billion as equity for the project from the provincial government.
The meeting was informed that the Civil Aviation Authority granted a no-objection certificate to a 218-foot-tall building following an aeronautical study.
The CM instructed the PPP Unit to begin construction and finish the concession agreement by the end of November. He stated, “I want the project finished in two years.”
He said that the NED University’s Science and Technology Park would be Pakistan’s first fully integrated science and technology park built on a PPP model.
A building with three basements and 17 floors above ground is part of the scope of the project. Technology firms, including large multinationals, SMEs, research firms, and startups, will sublease the park’s office spaces.
An auditorium, creative workspaces, high-speed connectivity, research labs, tech incubators, cafes, and other amenities will be included in the infrastructure.
The meeting was informed that a Kuwaiti company had submitted an Expression of Interest (EoI) for a G2G arrangement to install and manage the wastewater recycling project.
The CM was informed that the business has a lot of experience with wastewater treatment facilities, which would be very helpful to the success of the project.
The KWSC will provide industries in SITE with recycled water of sufficient quality to meet their requirements.
The CM educated the neighborhood government, enterprises, and PPP Unit to conclude the task with the organization and start work speedily.
The meeting was informed that the Malir Expressway project would end approximately 500 meters prior to the M9 motorway’s existing two-lane Kathore interchange.
It was disclosed that the two-lane Kathore interchange would experience traffic bottlenecks as a result of the six-lane expressway. In order to alleviate these bottlenecks and address operational issues, it was essential to rehabilitate, widen, and reconstruct the Kathore interchange in order to swiftly accommodate the increased traffic volumes.
Officials from the National Highway Authority (NHA) participated in a discussion, and they agreed that the interchange needed to be improved.
The local government department was able to provide the NHA with the necessary documentation after the CM approved the appointment of a technical consultant to carry out the necessary studies.
Ghotki-Kandhkot Bridge The CM was informed that the Ghotki-Kandhkot Bridge would begin construction in August 2020. However, construction was put on hold on July 18, 2023, and resumed on May 2, 2024. The percentage of overall physical progress is fifty percent.
The CM was informed that a provisional NOC had been issued by the NHA to connect the various approaches to N-5 (the at-grade intersection) and N-55 (the interchange at the main alignment and the at-grade intersection at the Thul Link Road).
As an additional contribution from the Sindh government’s Viability Gap Funding, the CM approved Rs2 billion for incremental mobilization advances in consultation with the PPP Policy Board.
Dr. Azra Pechuho, Zia Lanjar, Sardar Shah, Ali Hassan Zardari, Jam Ikram Dharejo, Chief Secretary Asif Hyder Shah, MPAs Ghulam Qadir Chandio, Qasim Soomro, and a number of others attended the meeting.