A parliamentary panel on Tuesday expressed annoyance over continuous absence of chairman National Highways Authority (NHA) from the meeting and recommended an action against him as per law. The National Assembly Standing Committee on Communications met here with MNA Muhammad Muzammil Qureshi in the chair. But the meeting was postponed to protest the continuous absence of NHA chairman, saying most of the decisions/recommendations of the committee have not been being implemented in letter and spirit due to his absence.
The committee was informed that compensation amount to the affected people of Kayal Bridge at Karakoram Highway has not been provided since 2014. Similarly, it was noticed that the previous recommendations of the committee about payments of affected people of Quba Saeed Khan, have also not been made so far. However, only a few people have received the payments and rest of the people are waiting for their payments. Moreover, the NHA did not pay the compensation amount to the affected people of Dir.
The committee considered a complaint regarding extortion against Muhammad Jamil, Deputy Director NHA, Karak, and Kareem Khan, ASI police station Sarai Norang, district Lakki Marwat, filed by the manager of petrol pump owned by Naseer Muhammad Maidadkhail.
The committee was informed that report on action taken by the NHA deputy director and the officials of Police Station Naurang against a petrol pump of ex-MNA was not received by the committee. The committee recommended that the matter may be dealt in accordance with law. The committee declared that it is being regularly ignored by the NHA chairman. The committee would not proceed further until he appears. Later the meeting ended without any further deliberations.
The meeting was also attended by MNAs Sar Zameen, Maiza Hameed, Nazir Ahmed Bughio, Ramesh Lal, Salim Rehman, Hamid-ul-Haq Khalil, Sanjay Parwani, Molana Qamar-ud-Din, Sahibzada Tariq Ullah, Naseema Hafeez Panezai, Usman Khan Tarakai and Shahjehan Muneer Mangrio. Moreover, secretary communications and several senior civil officers attended the meeting.