ISLAMABAD: The Senate has been informed that work on the long-pending Sukkur-Hyderabad Motorway project will begin this year, while three out of the five sections of the project have been approved and the tendering process is also underway.
Responding to a question from Senator Syed Masroor Ahsan during the Question Hour in the Senate session, Federal Minister for Communications Abdul Aleem Khan said that the Sukkur-Hyderabad motorway project has been divided into five sections. He said that the approval of three sections has been completed while tenders are being issued, it is hoped that the practical construction work will start by August or September.
Abdul Aleem Khan said that the government is focusing on improving road infrastructure despite financial difficulties and low funds in the Public Sector Development Program (PSDP).
He said that currently 109 toll plazas are operational across the country and instructions have been issued that toll plazas should not be kept operational until the rehabilitation work on bad roads is completed. The federal minister said that the revenue generated from toll tax is indispensable for the maintenance of existing roads and construction of new highways.
He said that NHA is earning significant revenue through toll collections which is being spent on young infrastructure projects. He admitted that the condition of many roads in the country is not satisfactory and lack of funds is a major obstacle in road repair and expansion projects.
Abdul Aleem Khan further said that overloading of heavy transport vehicles is causing severe damage to highways, due to which roads built for a long period of time become dilapidated within a few years. He assured the house that the government is taking effective steps to improve the quality of roads and infrastructure.
