NA panel questions award of projects ignoring communications ministry

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly Standing Committee on Communications Tuesday voiced concern over the selection process for new projects, noting that equal preference was not given to the provinces and questioning how the Planning Commission decided on projects without consulting the ministry.The committee decided to summon the representatives of Planning Commission, the ministry, and other stakeholders for discussions.

Aijaz Hussain Jakhrani chaired the committee meeting at the Parliament House.

The committee expressed dissatisfaction with the maintenance of roads, slow pace of work by the National Highway Authority (NHA), and substandard quality of completed projects.

The chairman directed that special meetings be held to address each grievance raised by the members individually.

The committee received a briefing from the secretary communications on the ongoing Sukkur-Hyderabad Motorway project.

Federal Minister for Communications Abdul Aleem Khan emphasized the importance of M-6, expressing confusion over its previous neglect and highlighting its significant economic value.

He affirmed that M-6 was the top priority in the upcoming Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) and mentioned that efforts were being made to include it in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

The issue of non-start of 360km Sukkur-Hyderabad section of Motorway also echoed in the meeting.

Jhakrani questioned why work on the construction of Sukkur-Hyderabad Motorway had not been started. The committee was informed that 360-km Sukkur-Hyderabad Motorway was the last unfinished part of the Karachi-Peshawar M6 project.

The NHA officials told the committee that in the current economic situation, it was very difficult for a foreign company to invest in Pakistan.

Secretary communications told the committee three Russian companies had expressed interest in construction of Sukkur-Hyderabad section of the motorway.

He further told the committee that Rs15 billion had been given to the Sindh government for project.

Minister Abdul Aleem Khan said the government departments could make money but “our state-owned companies are not interested in making money.”

He vowed to make the Ministry of Communications profitable.

Talking about the condition of roads, he said one of the major problems was the axel load on highways, as the road infrastructure was collapsing due to overloading.

“If one lakh is earned from overloading, the penalty is only Rs20,000, which means this illegal activity has been legalized in a way,” he said, adding if the roads were destroyed, what would be the benefit of the fine. He said the NHA had a toll plaza on 900km road in Gilgit-Baltistan and thousands of people visited Gilgit-Baltistan on holidays without paying toll.