ISLAMABAD, March 1: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz on Tuesday said his government gave top priority to improving the infrastructure, especially roads so that the travel time between the cities could be reduced for flow of goods and comfort to the passengers.

He was presiding over a meeting at the Prime Minister's House here to review the overall performance of the National Highway Authority. Chairman NHA Maj Gen Furrukh Javed briefed the prime minister on the ongoing as well as the new projects being undertaken by the authority.

The prime minister directed that no compromise should be made on the standard of roads, as the country needed more roads with "the growth of economy". He directed that the plans for construction of roads should cater to the country's future demands and "our roads should be ahead of the demand". He also assured allocation of more funds in the next budget for the construction of roads.

The prime minister was told that N-5 (GT Road) had been dualized with the exception of a 90 kms stretch that would be completed by the end of this year. He was also told that work on the Indus Highway had been started on 106 kms out of 450 kms of Indus Highway.

Furrukh Javed told the prime minister that the authority was seeking financial assistance from the Japanese government for the construction of Indus Highway. He was also informed that Gwadar- Karachi Road had been made operational after necessary repairs and that traffic was flowing normally for transportation of goods and passengers.