QUETTA, Oct 19: The Balochistan government has carpeted 400km of roads and constructed 1,600km of single roads in the province during the last two years.

The provincial chief engineer of communication and works, Ghulam Muhammad Baloch, said the total length of roads in the province was 20,000km out of which only 2,000km had been metalled.

He said that during the last fiscal year, Rs1.5 billion had been spent on various schemes in the communication sector, including 108 schemes under the Khushhal Pakistan Programme, 900 under the governor’s package and 50 under the drought rehabilitation programme.

During the current fiscal year, he added, Rs1.70 billion were being spent on the construction of roads under those development programmes simultaneously.

Replying to a question, he said the fate of the most neglected part of the country had been awakened after the government had come into power two years ago, as tremendous road development works were in progress both by the federal and the provincial governments.

Mr Baloch stated that 100km of Bela-Awaran Road had been metalled while another 100km would be metalled during the current fiscal year.

Work on Gwadar-Turbat-Hoshab-Pangjur Road was also in progress with the financial assistance of the Oman government, he said, adding that another important road under construction was Panjgur-Basima-Surab.—APP