August 12, 2006	Saturday	Rajab 16, 1427

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ISLAMABAD, Aug 11: Federal Minister for Communications Shamim Ahmed Siddiqui on Friday found himself in a tight spot when the opposition senators asked him to categorically state whether he was satisfied with the performance of National Highway Authority (NHA) Chairman Maj-Gen Farrukh Javed, and if not then why the chairman got three extensions since his appointment in 2001.

Referring to the news reports that the communications minister had asked President Gen Pervez Musharraf to remove the NHA chairman, the opposition senators asked the minister to either deny or confirm the reports.

“Yes, I am satisfied with his performance,” replied the minister under duress. He, however, neither denied nor confirmed the news reports mentioned by the opposition senators. He said it was true that he had sent the summaries to the Prime Minister seeking extension in the service of the NHA chairman.

The issue came up for discussion during the question hour when the minister stood up to give reply to supplementary questions relating to the appointment, fringe benefits and pay scale of the present NHA chairman.

Senator Pari Gul Agha of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League (PML) while speaking on a point of order asked Senate chairman Mohammadmian Soomro to take notice of the NHA chairman’s behaviour who had earlier refused to attend the standing committee meetings.

The minister told the house that Maj-Gen Farrukh Javed was appointed as NHA chairman on November 5, 2001. The minister disclosed that the total salary of the NHA chairman was Rs73,432 per month which also included the allowances payable to army officers. Besides this, he said, the NHA chairman was getting Rs50,000 per month as house rent, official conveyance (as per BPS-21) and medical, telephone and TA/DA.

Meanwhile, replying to a question of PML-N Senator Sadia Abbasi, the communications minister admitted that there had been a delay in the completion of Rawalpindi-Murree Carriageway project and its revised completion date was December 31, 2007. He said that Rs132.7 million had already been paid to the affected persons of the project and the outstanding amount would be disbursed as soon as final approval of the cost of the land was accorded by the Board of Revenue, Punjab. He said the work on the project remained suspended from May 18 to June 30, 2006 on the intervention of the Mines and Mineral Department.

Giving reasons for the delay, the minister said though the project commenced in September 1999, the Punjab government granted NOC for construction work in May 2001 after a lapse of 20 months. He said later the work had also remained suspended for a period of 14 months.

He said the work was also delayed due to non-provision of land by the Military Lands and Cantonments Department towards the Lower Topa end. Moreover, he said, the construction period available was limited due to extreme climatic conditions both in summer and winter (snowfall) curtailed further by the hindrances caused by circumstances beyond the NHA’s control, including frequent stoppage of work by the area locals.

Responding to a question of Senator Talha Mahmood, the minister said that 67 per cent of the total work had been completed on motorway (M-1) from Islamabad to Peshawar and an amount of Rs11.6 billion had been spent on it up to June 30, this year.

To another question of the same senator, the minister said that 74 toll plazas were operational on national highways and motorways and toll revenue of Rs13.02 billion had been collected during 2003 to 2006. Out of these 74 toll plazas, 53 were on national highways and 21 on motorways. Giving details, he said, Rs9.01 billion had been collected from 44 toll plazas in Punjab, Rs3.05 billion from 17 toll plazas in Sindh, Rs939 million from 12 toll plazas in the NWFP and Rs8 million from one toll plaza in Balochistan.