PA passes resolution against NHA’s toll tax hikes

The Provincial Assembly of Sindh on Tuesday unanimously passed a resolution against the constant rise of toll tax charged by the National Highway Authority (NHA) for using inter-city roads in the country.

The private resolution was moved by Pakistan Peoples Party MPA Heer Soho. She censured the NHA for repeated increases in the toll tax for highways and motorways in quick succession. She also castigated the NHA for ignoring the reconstruction of highways in Sindh that are in poor condition. She told the House that toll tax rates have been increased thrice over the past seven months.

She suggested that the NHA be renamed the Punjab Highway Authority for its least focus on the upkeep of the main inter-city roads in Sindh. Sindh Transport Minister Sharjeel Memon announced support for the resolution, saying that the federal government should construct new highways in Sindh considering the high toll tax it receives from road users in the province.

Memon said the Centre should provide the due facilities to the residents of Sindh after collecting taxes from them. He urged the Centre to immediately improve road connectivity between the cities of Hyderabad and Sukkur.

Colleges’ issues

Answering queries from lawmakers during the question hour, Education Minister Sardar Shah said Karachi has 154 public colleges with an enrolment of around 300,000. He said the government is serious about resolving the colleges’ issues.

Shah conceded that the number of government colleges in Karachi need to be increased. He said that certain towns in the city lack the facility of a public college. He opined that every Tehsil headquarters in Sindh should have a public college for boys and girls.

Replying to a question, he said children in Sindh are the prime beneficiaries of the cadet colleges built in the province. Ten per cent of the admission quota at cadet colleges is reserved for students from other provinces, he added.

Responding to another query, he said that there is no plan to build any cadet college in Hyderabad because the Cadet College Petaro, which is also President Asif Zardari’s alma mater, is situated nearby.

He also told the House that a biometric attendance system has been introduced for teachers at several public educational institutions in Sindh. He said the same system would later be introduced for students. He claimed that the issue of ghost employees does not exist at government-run colleges in Sindh.