Islamabad, Nov 5: The Senate Standing Committee on Communications has expressed deep concern over the way National Highway Authority has embarked on awarding motorway interchanges to private housing societies.
The committee sought a feathered Act on such projects along the stretch of the N25 highway over the past ten years.
The committee meeting Senator Pervaiz Rasheed and other members of the committee are Senators Dost Ali Jeesar, Samina Mumtaz, Zamir Hussain Ghumro, Mohammad Abdul Qadir Muhammad Tallal Badar, Mohsin Aziz and Aon Abbass.
One of the key agenda items included a parking problem faced by commuters from Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to Islamabad International Airport and absence of direct motorway.
Pleading a lot, NHA’s Chairman advised passengers from Peshawar to rather use Fateh Jang exit.
Another major point was the NOC of Capital Smart City for constructing a new interchange on the M2 motorway.
Senator Aon Abbas had asked whether this NOC was legal or not.
The chairman of the NHA said that policy allows interchanges if societies have enough land while senator talal chaudhry argued that rules should be tight to avoid cheating.
She mentioned very high accident frequencies, 46, 000 in five years indicating the need for some serious measures and responsibilities for roads enhancement.
Senator Abdul Qadir said that there are continuing projects in Baluchistan totaling Rs. 40 billion with annual funding of Rs. 5 billion and called for a halt in the initiation of any new project until the ongoing ones are done.
The committee concluded with a call for the NHA to prioritize public safety and infrastructure quality over private interests, especially on critical routes like the N25.
They requested a detailed report on past decade projects, aiming to improve Balochistan’s infrastructure.
