August 02, 2008	Saturday	Rajab 29, 1429

QUETTA, Aug 1: Balochistan Chief Minister Nawab Mohammad Aslam Raisani has urged the National Highway Authority to ensure timely completion of highways under construction in the province

The chief minister was presiding over a meeting on highway projects.

Federal Secretary Communication Saifullah Sherwani and NHA chairman Altaf Ahmed Chaudhry briefed the chief minister on the ongoing road projects in the province.

Provincial ministers Mir Sadiq Umrani, Sardar Sanaullah Zehri, Syed Ehsan Shah, Balochistan chief secretary Nasir Mehmood Khosa, additional chief secretary Ahmed Bakhsh Lerhi also attended the meeting.

Most of the ministers expressed concern over slow pace of work and asked the NHA to ensure timely completion of work.

The chief minister said that due to the province’s important geographical location, its road network was of utmost importance, especially the highways linking Gwadar with other parts of the country. He said development of the road network in Balochistan had been ignored in past.

The meeting was informed that work on the Liari-Gwadar portion of the Makran highway had been completed and only 20 per cent work on the Gwadar-Paliri and Jweni portions was left.

NHA officials said that work on the Karachi-Hub portion of the Karachi-Chaman road had been completed. They said work on the Hub-Uthal portion was in progress in collaboration with the Asian Development Bank and it would be completed by October next year. The meeting was informed that 40 per cent of national highways were in Balochistan and measures were being taken to link the province with other parts of the country.