ISLAMABAD: A parliamentary panel on Friday directed the National Highways Authority (NHA) to stop collecting double toll tax from the public on several toll plazas. The 5th meeting of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Communications met under the chairmanship of Ibadullah Khan here.

It was pointed out in the meeting that the NHA was collecting tax at the Jamshoro toll plaza, and then again at the M9 plaza. The two plazas were approximately two kilometres apart, and it did not make sense to collect toll tax from the travellers twice.

Further in Mansehra, the NHA is collecting toll tax twice within a distance of five kilometers. The committee directed to stop collecting double toll tax from the public in both areas. The Committee was briefed about the Mansehra to Naran Road, the NHA informed that the Mansehra to Mahandri was 82 km, and was in fair condition.

The Mahandri to Larri 14 kilometres road is in poor condition and from Larri to Naran 27 kilometres road is in bad condition due to the heavy loaded machinery of Suki Kinari dam project. The NHA is maintaining this section through available routine maintenance but the damages is beyond the scope of routine maintenance.

In this regard, the NHA is preparing emergency engineer estimates, and is being submitted for approval. The Member (Engineering and Coordination) NHA briefed the committee about projects, which were initiated during the tenure of the previous government, along with latest status of each project, budget allocation, and amount released and utilised during the financial years, 2018, 2019, and 2020.

The Committee was informed that there were 20 projects that were started during the last government's tenure, and 11 projects were completed. The Committee directed the ministry to submit compliance on the previous recommendations relating to projects in Balochistan and Chitral.

The committee directed for improving postal services in rural area, while observing that extra departmental branch offices, which are being run by part-time employees, are not performing well. The director general Pakistan Post briefed the committee regarding working and functions of the Pakistan Post Office Department.

He informed about the historical background, organisational structure, establishment, services, functions and new initiatives of the Pakistan Post. He further informed that the Pakistan Post was providing services throughout the country with the help of its 1,523 urban and 8,666 rural post offices.

International postal services provided by the department include letter mail services, parcel services, surface air lifted mail, surface mail, and express mail service. The Committee desired the ministry to improve postal services in rural area because extra departmental branch offices, which were being run by part-time employees, were not performing well. The Committee directed to submit a comparison of performance prior to 2018, and after 2018.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020