Economic corridor: Prime Minister diverts Rs 20 billion to road projects, Senate body told

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has diverted Rs 20 billion, saved for other projects, to the road projects under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) bringing the total allocation to Rs 40 billion for the current financial year 2015-16. The government had earlier earmarked Rs 20 billion in the Public Sector Development Program (PSPD) for different road projects under the CPEC for 2015-16, said Secretary Communication and Chairman National Highway Authority (NHA) Shahid Ashraf Tarar while briefing the Senate Standing Committee on Communication here on Monday.
The committee met with Daud Khan Achakzai in the chair and discussed a progress report on National Highways and Motorway Police (NH&MP) and utilisation of approved schemes in the budget for the financial year 2015-16 from PSDP/foreign funding up to January 31, 2016.
Tarar informed the committee members that the department is facing financial issues and is not utilising its capacity. Finance division releases funds at the end or near to the close of the financial year and ultimately funds lapse and transfer into next financial year. He further said by end January, Rs 26 billion was released under the PSPD against an allocation of Rs 160 billion for 61 projects.
The committee termed it ''corruption'' by the government while arguing that the government just shows good allocation but does not release the funds timely. The committee further said that delay in releasing of funds also results in increasing project costs. Secretary Communication said that Section 4 has been put in place by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government for land acquisition for the Hasanabadal-D.I. Khan section under the CPEC and work would start in March 2016. Following the directives of Prime Minister, land would be acquired for six-lane motorways while D.I. Khan-Zhob section would be upgraded to the status of Motorways, he added.
National Highways and Motorway Police (NH&MP) is known as corruption-free and role model department in South Asia but its Inspector General (IG) presented a deteriorated situation by saying that officials including him have their offices in rented houses while they were denied a 20 percent increase in salaries announced by the Prime Minister, besides shortage of patrol vehicles on highways and motorways.
IG Mohammad Saleem Bhatti said that 80 percent officers work in rented offices whereas DIGs and SSPs have no offices. Bhatti said the department is compelled to involve in irregularities by constructing offices while saving the money in the name of holding seminars that were not actually taking place. Further 258 vehicles are over mileage, while 155 have deficiencies, said IG, adding that Prime Minister approved 20 percent special allowance for NH&MP employees, however Finance division allowed only 10 percent of the basic pay which was later frozen from 1-7-2015.
The department''s responsibility increased by 800 kilometer during the last 6 years but is facing serious human resource constraints to cover it. The demand would increase four times after handing over the CPEC route and therefore needs more sanctions. The committee recommended moving a summary to the Prime Minister for giving more sanctions so that NH&MP requirements may be met. NH&MP officials said that accidents and death ratios increased in 2015 as compared to 2014 on motorways and highways. A total of 1027 accidents were reported in 2015 claiming 650 lives, besides injuries to 1858 others against 394 accidents, 525 deaths and 1054 injuries in 2014.