ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif presided over a meeting on Thursday to review progress on various road networks and transportation projects across the country.

Heads of various organisations, including Frontier Works Organi­sation, National Highway Authority and Capital Development Autho­rity, gave a briefing to the prime minister about the ongoing projects.

This was for the second time in recent months that the prime minister reviewed the progress on road and highway projects in the country.

In a previous meeting held in January, the prime minister had been informed that 3,047km-long roads were being constructed in different parts of the country at a cost of Rs1,140.74 billion, including Rs150bn of private sector’s investment.

FWO Director General Lt Gen Mohammad Afzal and NHA Chairman Shahid Ashraf Tarar and Mayor of Islamabad and CDA Chairman Sheikh Ansar Aziz made presentation before the participants.

Federal Minister for Water and Power Khawaja Mohammad Asif was also present in the briefing.

Mr Aziz had been called for briefing on the project of extension of the Metro Bus Service in the capital. He informed the participants about the plan to connect the new Islamabad international airport to the Metro Bus Service through a link starting from Peshawar Morr.

On this occasion, the prime minister said that road networks and transportation projects were vital to economic growth, adding that the “road projects will connect far-flung areas to urban centres thereby improving socio-economic conditions of the people”.

Mr Sharif directed that projects should be completed in time without compromising on the quality of work.

Earlier this month, the government had informed the members of the Senate that the NHA had paid Rs14.48bn under the “head of escalation” during the tenure of the present government.

Out of this amount, the NHA paid Rs7.49bn on the government-funded projects whereas Rs6.99bn on various aided projects throughout the country.

Similarly, the senators were informed that during the tenure of the present government, the NHA has spent Rs41.278bn on maintenance and repair of national highways across the country.

This amount has been spent on improving 2,934-km roads in all the four provinces and Gilgit-Baltistan and motorways.

In response to another question, the senators were informed that no firm had been blacklisted during the past five years. However, the NHA has referred the cases to the Pakistan Engineering Council for blacklisting of four contractors on account of a road accident in Sindh and due to submission of fake documents in the bids for various projects.

Published in Dawn, March 24th, 2017