Minister for Communication, Muhammad Shamim Siddiqui said on Friday that Rs 400-500 billion would be spent on roads network in the country during the next ten years and the process is going on smoothly.
Speaking in a PTV programme he said that last year an amount of Rs 20 billion was initially allocated for roads network under Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) while a grant of Rs 4 billion was given in the last quarter. By including the income of toll money and other sources the Ministry spent an amount of Rs 30-31 billion He said that this year the overall expenditures on the road network is expected to remain about Rs 40 billion.
He said the improvement and expansion of highways and construction of motorways from Karachi to Peshawar and onwards to China, Iran and Afghanistan is part of the ten years plan.
He said, a Malaysian firm has been assigned the project of M-4 from Faisalabad to Khanewal on BOT basis while the World Bank and Asian Development Bank have arranged funding for M-5 from Khanewal to Rajanpur.
Kárakurram highway is being upgraded rapidly and the reconstruction of Thahkot bridge would be completed within two years. Once constructed, the bridge would help expedite the construction work on KK highway.
To a question he said, total length of roads in country is 2,60,000 kilometer out of which 10,000 kilometers are under the control of central government. To another question he said that Super Highway between Karachi and Hyderabad is being made into a six-lane road.