ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly Standing Committee on Communications questioned misprocurement conducted by the National Highways Authority (NHA) in awarding of Lodhran-Multan section of N-5, asking that why one billion rupees was given in advance.

The Committee meeting was held under the acting Chairmanship of Mir Khan Muhammad Jamali to discuss the misprocurement conducted by the NHA while awarding of Lodhran-Multan section of NHA N-5.

The representatives of the NHA assured the Committee that the complete details of the project should be submitted before the Committee in the next meeting. The Committee discussed the Gharo Keti Bandargah Road Project in detail.

The representatives of the NHA could not satisfy the Committee. The Committee recommended that the working of the project should be completed at the earliest and submitted before the Committee in the next meeting. The Committee discussed the Sehwan-Jamshoro Road Project in detail.

The Committee questioned the quality of work of the project and recommended that the Motorways Police should be deployed on the Sehwan-Jamshoro Road at the earliest.

The Committee deferred the matter regarding service road along-with M-9 Motorway (moved by Kesoo Mal Kheal Das, MNA), the matter of delay and slow construction of old Bannu Road, (moved by Zahid Akram Durrani, MNA); and the starred question regarding whether it is in the notice of concerned authorities that different real estate companies have encroached of kanals of the NHA land at Karachi-Hyderabad Motorway and they are constructing interchanges and other road networks for their housing schemes without the approval of the NHA, (moved by Abdul Karim Bijar, MNA), due to non-presence of the movers.

The Committee constituted a sub-committee comprising on Ramesh Lal (Convener), Dr Darshan, Mir Khan Muhammad Jamali and Syed Ayaz Ali Shah Sherazi as members. The terms of reference (ToR) would be “to visit and inspect the NHA roads completed, yet to be completed in Balochistan and Sindh”.

Mir Khan Muhammad Jamali, Chaudary Khalid Javed, Rana Muhammad Ishaq Khan, Dr Darshan, Syed Abrar Ali Shah Sherazi, Ramesh Lal, Maulana Abdul Akbar Chitrali MNAs/Members and Sikandar Ali Rahoupoto, MNA/mover attended the meeting.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023