ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has directed that major infrastructure projects, including motorways which would improve communication across the country, should be completed at the earliest.

He made these remarks during a briefing given to him by Chairman National Highway Authority (NHA) Shahid Ashraf Tarar at the PM’s House on Saturday.

The meeting was informed that the NHA was following the projects through private sector on Build Own Operate (BOO) and Build Operate Transfer (BOT) basis.

The NHA chairman informed the meeting that for the first time in the history of Pakistan, three BOT projects costing Rs91 billion have been rewarded which will generate Rs366 billion over the concession period.

Tarar said that construction of Karachi-Hyderabad motorway will start in the last week of December while groundbreaking of motorway E-35 (Burhan-Havelian) will be carried out in the last week of December.

The meeting noted that Naluchi Bridge in Muzzafarabad and M-4 (Faisalabad-Gojra) were almost complete and would be ready for inauguration in the second week of December.

The NHA was directed that work on Karachi-Hyderabad motorway and Khanewal-Lahore motorway should be completed as soon as possible without compromising on the issues of transparency and international standards.

The meeting was informed that Pindi Bhattian to Faisalabad motorway was being planned to be converted from existing four lanes into a six-lane motorway.

The NHA was also directed that a good road may be built to connect Okara and Bahawalpur with Karachi-Lahore motorway.