Sindh govt told to decide right of way issue with National Highway Authority along M-9 motorway in 45 days

The Sindh High Court has instructed the Sindh government to resolve the ownership dispute over the right of way (RoW) along the M-9 motorway within 45 days, following a petition by the National Highway Authority (NHA). The court's two-judge constitutional bench, led by Justice Adnan-ul-Karim Memon, ordered the Sindh government to consider all aspects of the case, including NHA's claim to statutory control over the RoW, the concession agreement between NHA and a private firm, and the amendment and cancellation of mutation.

The NHA had initially petitioned the court in 2017, challenging the cancellation of mutation by the Sindh government and the reduction of the RoW limit. Additionally, SCORE, a private firm that took over the motorway project in 2015 on a build-operate-and-transfer basis, had also approached the court, contesting the cancellation of permission/mutation of RoW and certain provisions of laws on highways.

The court's decision highlights the complexities surrounding the federal and provincial jurisdictions in managing national highways and their associated RoWs in Pakistan.

Brief written by urgent.news from Dawn - Pakistan's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.