Federal Minister for Communications, Privatization and Board of Investment Abdul Aleem Khan has directed to review the construction project of the Sialkot to Rawalpindi Motorway and make it as of 6 lanes instead of 4 so that the needs of the next 50 years can be kept in view.
He has further directed that on all Motorways it should also be ensured that there are no barriers or obstructions for any vehicle for which mechanism should be followed while public should also be given awareness through print and electronic media.
He expressed these views while presiding over a high-level meeting of the National Highway Authority in which pace of work was reviewed on various projects of the National Highway Authority including Balochistan, Sindh and Gilgit-Baltistan. Minister Communications Abdul Aleem Khan directed that NHA should install live cameras on all its construction projects so that this construction work can be monitored anywhere at any time.
He said that highways and motorways are our national assets so future needs should be kept in view in the context of growing population. Federal Minister Abdul Aleem Khan further said that we have to give priority to the construction of such roads which can benefit the country economically, as well. Federal Communications Minister Abdul Aleem Khan directed the NHA to implement phase-wise construction of the N25 highway costing Rs.150 billion in Baluchistan while NHA to also ensure third-party evaluation of repair projects of different roads so that the Government funds can’t be wasted.
He directed the high ups of the National Highway Authority to contact the Gilgit-Baltistan Government to solve the problems being faced with regard to means of communications there. He also asked NHA to contact Baluchistan Government in view of the orders of the High court to resolve issues in that province. Federal Minister Abdul Aleem Khan in a high-level meeting issued special instructions regarding the construction of CPEC-linked highways and asked that NHA should include its plans in the dashboard to submit a report to the Prime Minister in this regard.
In this high-level meeting of the National Highway Authority, Federal Minister Abdul Aleem Khan directed that we have to choose the least long route to access the countries of Central Asia in the future for which the feasibility report should be prepared. The meeting was briefed by the Federal Secretary Communications, Chairman National Highway Authority and senior officers on various ongoing projects and important decisions including some important issues were approved.