KARACHI     -    Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Thursday approved alignment of a bridge between Ghotki and Kandhkot located 60 kilometres upstream Sukkur Barrage.  He gave approval of the project after consultation with experts. The bridge lies within the coordinates of 28 to 4 degree in the north and 69 to 12 and 69 to 15 degree in east N 28 degree. It is located 60 kilometres downstream Guddu Barrage.

The chief took this decision while presiding over a meeting of irrigation and water experts, consultants, woks department engineers and stakeholders/locals of Kandhkot-Kashmore district at CM House.

The meeting was told that the first hydraulic study was conducted at the Irrigation Research Institute, Nadipur Lab on March 28, 2018. The irrigation department had expressed reservations about the bridge location, which was given in the RFP and subsequently in the concession agreement. The irrigation department proposed a new location, which was about 14 kilometres upstream the original bridge.

The chief minister constituted a committee of officials from NED University, Mehran University, Irrigation Department and Works & Services Department with the task to evaluate the bridge location options and recommend the most suitable location. The expert committee after detailed deliberations recommended the original location as per RFP.

The Works and Services Department signed the Concession Agreement in May 2018 with a private company, SPV, which created Ghotki-Kandhkot Road and Bridge Company (Pvt) Ltd. The concessioner submitted Hydraulic Model study from Nadipur Lab to Works and Services Department based on final proposed location for further action.

The model study proposed the bridge for two kilometres. The total width of the river at that place is nine kilometres. It means there would be a four-lane and two-kilometre long bridge and five-kilometre approach roads on both sides.

It was observed that during 2010 floods water spilled over Tori Bund therefore the chief minster decided that all embankments located near the bridge would be strengthened. The chief minister directed the Works and Services Department and the Irrigation Department to send the bridge project to the Indus River Commission (IRC) for approval.

The work would be started as soon as the IRC approves the project.

The chief minister said the bridge would be a gift for transport from Punjab-Sindh-Balochistan and for people of all nearby districts of the nearby provinces.