ISLAMABAD, July 13: The National Highway Council on Friday approved a budget worth Rs40 billion for the National Highway Authority for the financial year 2007-08.

Federal Minister for Communications Shamim Ahmed Siddiqui chaired the meeting which was attended by federal finance secretary Tanvir Ali Agha, additional finance secretary Mohammad Ayub Khan Tarin, planning and development secretary Giasuddin Ahmed, federal communications secretary Tariq Mahmud and National Management Consultants chairman Dr Juniad Ahmed.

National Highway Authority chairman Maj-Gen Imtiaz Ahmed briefed the meeting about various development projects and financial and administrative aspects of the authority.

The communications minister said that NHA’s budget allocation had increased from Rs6 billion in 1991 to Rs40 billion this year which showed the government’s desire to expand the road infrastructure in the country. He said the council wanted to strengthen the NHA as an institution and every support would be extended in this regard.

The NHA chairman informed the meeting that at present 63 highway projects were under way while 45 were in the planning stage.

He said that in the next five years, the authority would be working on 129 projects worth Rs510 billion. He said that efforts were being made to encourage the private sector to invest in highway projects.

He said that Lakpass Tunnel, which was country’s first mega project on build-operate-transfer (BOT) basis, would be completed early next year.

Mr Imtiaz informed the meeting that one side of a bridge on Kabul river on Peshawar-Islamabad Motorway (M-1) had been completed and the motorway would be opened for traffic in September. He said the work on Islamabad-Murree dual carriageway was going on and the highway would be operational by the end of this year.

The NHA chairman said the government was working on a plan to establish a national trade corridor (NTC) which included the construction of north-south national highways, connections with the Gwadar port and upgradation of KKH. He said the NTC plan would be completed by 2014.