KARACHI, Feb 8: Chairman National Highway Authority (NHA) Maj-Gen Farrukh Javed said here on Friday that Gwadar-Pasni section of the Makran coastal highway will be completed at a cost of Rs3 billion on a priority basis.

He was presiding over a meeting of NHA executive board, which accorded approval of work award on the 132km-long Pasni-Gwadar section of the highway to the Frontier Works Organization. The meeting also discussed matters relating to rehabilitation and improvement of the Karakorum Highway and the National Highway and strategic roads maintenance fund rules-2001 amendments.

The meeting also considered matters regarding establishment of vigilance directorate cells in the National Highway Authority and NHA’s administrative manual amendments, besides reviewing affairs regarding compensation to the bereaved families of NHA employees.

The meeting was held in Karachi on the instruction of the Ministry of Communications and Railways to forge unity and create better understanding among the provinces.

Maj-Gen Javed said the NHA was striving for fulfilling national obligation of construction and maintenance of highways in the country. National highways, he said, plaid a significant role in the socio-economic uplift and keeping in view its importance, the highway network was being established on modern lines.

He pointed out that the Makran coastal highway was an extraordinary project that would prepare the ground for economic development of Balochitan and the coastal region would avail an opportunity of development in particular.

Maj-Gen Javed stated that the construction activity on the Lyari-Ormara and Gwadar-Pasni sections of the highway was in progress.

Speaking about the Karakoram Highway, the NHA chairman said that the highway possessed vital significance with regard to external trade activities of Pakistan.

He said the objectives of establishment of vigilance directorate cell in the Authority was an attempt to improve its performance and remove hindrances in way of completion of the projects.

He said the administrative affairs of the NHA were being further improved so that it could complete the given assignments more actively.

The member of the NHA executive board expressed satisfaction over Lyari Expressway and Karachi Northern Bypass projects and said, “it is satisfying that the affectees of these projects will be cared for in particular for their resettlement.”—APP