Federal Minister for Communications, Privatization and Board of Investment Abdul Aleem Khan has directed that the National Highway Authority should be made a profitable and resource-increasing organization for which the Government’s resources should not be taken as “Mun-o Salwa” and ensure self-sufficiency in future. Moreover, NHA should change its reputation and become a good name for the nation and the country by working with self-reliance, hard work and honesty. Federal Minister for Communications Abdul Aleem Khan further said that his priority in the department is to ensure the construction of a safe and qualitative Motorway from Sukkur to Karachi, followed by the completion of highways from Karachi to Quetta and from Mansehra to Babusar Top, as soon as possible. He said that from a commercial point of view, the main target of all our highways and road networks should be the countries of Central Asia, which will be more beneficial for the government and the nation.
Federal Minister for Communications Abdul Aleem Khan, while presiding over a high-level meeting held at the headquarters of the National Highway Authority, said that he is offering new tasks and a departmental plan of action under which Government funds will not be wasted in any way, and there will be zero tolerance on corruption. Abdul Aleem Khan has strongly emphasised third-party evaluation for NHA’s new and ongoing projects to ensure maximum benefit from minimum expenditure. He believes this will bring a new level of transparency to the organization’s operations. He said that the National Highway Authority has to avoid the old working system and come forward to compete with the private sector.
He indicated that if NHA increases its resources, its employees and officers can raise their salaries and benefits while work can also be speeded up on new projects. Federal Minister Abdul Aleem Khan directed that trucks exceeding the allowed weight should not come on any highway of NHA; moreover, long queues should be eliminated by ensuring “M-Tag” on all motorways, including the Lahore-Sialkot sector. Abdul Aleem Khan further said that he would visit Sindh and Balochistan so that the speed of work on the projects of the National Highway Authority could be reviewed on the spot.
Federal Minister Abdul Aleem Khan detailed the progress of the National Highway Authority, including Gwadar, on various projects in Balochistan, Sindh, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including Khuzdar to Kuchlak, Sarab to Kalat, Kalat to Mastung, Mastung to Quetta, and Quetta to Kuchlak roads.
In the meeting, Federal Minister Abdul Aleem Khan was informed about the progress on the construction of new toll plazas, inter-provincial roads, and ongoing projects of NHA, and necessary decisions were taken.
