Road building in KP costs Rs70m/km, Senate panel told
ISLAMABAD: An official of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government informed the Senate Standing Committee on Economic Affairs that the cost of constructing one kilometre of road stands at Rs70 million.
The official stated that the province had constructed 770 kilometres of roads at a total cost of Rs69 billion. Questioning the financial details, Chairman of the Committee Senator Saifullah Abro asked why an additional Rs43 billion had been included despite the reported project cost of Rs69 billion.
KP officials explained that the additional expenditure also covered the construction of several bridges associated with the road projects.
Abro also questioned the award of contracts, observing that although several large construction companies operate in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, work had been awarded to only two or three firms. Officials replied that other companies had not participated in the bidding process. The chairman remarked that this suggested open competitive bidding had not been properly conducted and directed officials to provide complete details of the Notice Inviting Tender.
The Senate Standing Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Senator Saifullah Abro, held a detailed meeting to review the implementation, progress and utilisation of foreign-funded development projects across the country, with a special focus on Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s road, flood rehabilitation and irrigation sector schemes. It received a comprehensive briefing from the Communication and Works Department, Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, on district road projects, flood rehabilitation initiatives, externally funded infrastructure schemes and irrigation sector projects financed by international development partners.
During a separate briefing on the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Road Rehabilitation and Upgradation Project, officials informed the committee that the agreement with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) had been signed in 2018. The rehabilitation and upgradation of 249.5 kilometres of roads had been completed under the project. Total expenditure on the project stood at $146.2 million, while the loan closing date was fixed for October 2026. The completed highways include Kalam-Matiltan-Mahodand Road, Shah Alam-Sardar Yab Road, Risalpur-Jahangira Road and Haripur-Hattar-Taxila Road.
The committee also received a detailed briefing on externally financed water sector projects in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Officials informed members that projects worth $387 million were being implemented with financial assistance from the Asian Development Bank, while additional projects worth $295 million were underway with World Bank financing. The committee was informed that the ADB-supported Flood Emergency Rehabilitation Project was currently under implementation, with an overall completion target of June 2027. Officials stated that the total cost of the project was Rs15 billion, of which approximately Rs12.98 billion had already been spent. This project covers Malakand, Swat, Charsadda, Nowshera, Peshawar, Dir, Chitral, and Dera Ismail Khan. The committee was informed that work was currently underway on 143 irrigation, drainage and flood protection schemes under the project. Officials further informed the committee that 79 irrigation and drainage schemes had been completed.
The committee also discussed concerns regarding alleged unauthorised pressure by the World Bank’s local representative on the Sindh Water and Agriculture Transmission Project. Chairman Senator Abro questioned the role of World Bank’s local representative, stating that the lender could either approve or decline financing but could not dictate how projects should be implemented. He said Pakistan should not succumb to external pressure, saying that Sindh could save approximately Rs14 billion by resisting unnecessary project changes. He observed that unnecessary external pressure was increasing project costs and questioned how the World Bank could influence implementation decisions. The officials confirmed that the project cost had doubled.
During the briefing on flood rehabilitation projects, committee members questioned the criteria adopted for selecting road schemes in flood-affected districts. They observed significant disparities between the actual flood-hit areas and the allocation of reconstruction projects. Senator Rubina Khalid pointed out that a maximum of 16 roads had been constructed in Mardan, while only 12 kilometres of roads had been built in Dir despite the district suffering extensive flood damage. She lamented that there was a clear disparity in project implementation, stating that reconstruction work had not been carried out where flood rehabilitation was genuinely required, while projects were executed in areas where there was little or no need. Senator Hidayatullah observed that nine roads were built in Peshawar despite the fact that the city not did not experience flood damage.