A high-level National Highway Authority review meeting was held under the chairmanship of Federal Minister for Communications Abdul Aleem Khan. The meeting reviewed ongoing and proposed projects of the National Highway Authority revenue enhancement, road safety and developmental programmes. The meeting discussed in detail progress on various projects as well as financial matters.
Speaking in the meeting, Federal Minister for Communications Abdul Aleem Khan said that the NHA had successfully achieved the revenue enhancement target set 2 years ago. He said that going forward, the NHA would undertake the construction of new roads from the revenue generated from existing revenue streams. Federal Minister said that major projects expected to be completed in the coming months including the Lodhran–Multan Expressway, expansion of the Pindi Bhattian–Faisalabad Motorway and Peshawar Northern Bypass which would be inaugurated by the Prime Minister. He said that work on the Sialkot–Kharian Motorway was also progressing rapidly while construction work had commenced on the Karachi–Quetta–Chaman Pakistan Expressway (N-25). Expressing concern over the poor condition of the Lahore–Gujranwala GT Road, Abdul Aleem Khan directed the NHA Authorities to take immediate measures to improve the road condition and provide relief to citizens travelling on this important route. Federal Minister Abdul Aleem Khan directed NHA officials to ensure road safety through improved engineering in the construction of new highways, stressing that the complete protection of human lives must remain the top priority. He expressed reservations about the design of the M-4 and other highways, emphasizing that Pakistan's roads should be green, safe, comfortable and designed according to modern international standards. He directed NHA to engage foreign experts for improved road engineering and better highway design. He said that NHA's engineering staff should adopt international best practices and develop motorways that are safer and more comfortable for motorists.
During the high-level meeting, Federal Minister Abdul Aleem Khan was briefed on the availability of funds for the M-6 Motorway, ongoing projects under the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) and NHA projects underway across all four provinces. The meeting was informed that the NHA manages only 3.13 per cent of the country's road network, yet more than 80 percent of the country's traffic moves on this network. The meeting was further informed that NHA would soon give the Prime Minister a detailed presentation on the Authority's performance over the past two and a half years. Federal Secretary for Communications and Chairman NHA also briefed the meeting on the progress of various ongoing and proposed projects.The meeting also decided to contact Federal Government for funding of Rs.108 billion rupees for NHA Projects in Baluchistan.
