May 26, 2006	Friday	Rabi-us-Sani 27, 1427

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ISLAMABAD, May 25: The government has decided to restructure the National Highway Authority, Communications Minister Shamim Siddiqui said on Thursday.

The minister said at a press conference that the government had worked out a 10-year road construction and rehabilitation plan worth Rs400 billion to Rs500 billion, for which the country required a reformed NHA.

“The ministry is in the process of hiring consultants and engineers under whose guidance the NHA will be restructured on modern lines,” he said.

“A 10-year plan worth Rs400 billion to Rs500 billion is being launched to expand the country’s road network and bring it up to international standards,” he said.

He alleged that previous governments had taken huge loans in the name of road construction but never used them appropriately.

“International donors have again started trusting the government of Pakistan and now we want strict implementation of projects,” the minister said.

He said the annual expenditure on maintenance of roads was about Rs6 billion.

He termed overloading of trucks the main reason behind speedy deterioration of roads.

“We have handed over two weighing stations to motorway police and the step has shown tremendous results,” he said.

He said the ministry was planning to open 20 to 25 driving schools.

In response to a question, the minister said the National Highway Council had been made active and its meeting would be held in the last week of July.

He said that under the 10-year plan the 350km road from Hassanabdal to Sazin would be upgraded for link to Basha dam. The minister said the highway from Sazin to Raikot and then up to Khunjerab would be upgraded.

He said China was providing a loan of $350 million on soft terms for the rehabilitation of the Karakoram Highway, which would help Chinese exporters to connect to Gwadar port.

He said the 1,400km Indus Highway from Karachi to Peshawar would be rehabilitated and brought at par with international standards.

He said the authorities were negotiating with a Malaysian firm for construction of motorway from Faisalabad to Khanewal. He expressed the hope that the construction work would start next year and it would be completed at a cost of Rs22 billion in four years.

The minister said negotiations were also under way for awarding contract of construction of motorway from Khanewal to Rajanpur and Rajanpur to Ratudero with a Malaysian firm.

Mr Siddiqui said road network was imperative for success of the Gwadar port, which would be opened in December.