KARACHI, Aug 3: Chairman National Highway Authority (NHA) Major-Gen Farrukh Javed stated here on Saturday that plans are on the anvil to install electronic system for toll collection at various toll plazas in the country.

Talking to a group of newsmen, he said that at the initial stage work on eight toll plazas was being undertaken out of 47 in the country and work on two has already been started.

Referring to various projects, Gen Farrukh said a sum of Rs350 million was being spent on ‘dual carriageway’ from Karachi to Ghakhar Phattak, Karachi Northern Bypass was to be completed in 30 months, work on Kohat tunnel was nearing completion which will reduce 400 miles’ distance between Karachi and Peshawar, besides undertaking work on linking Karachi to Peshawar through the Indus Highway.

He said maximum damages to roads and highways were caused by the movement of overloaded trucks and a campaign has been initiated to control it. However, rules in this regard would be strictly implemented from the next month.

The NHA chief said 30 weighing bridges would be established on highways all over the country, whereas four of them, including those at Gidani, Sukkur and Sungjani (Rawalpindi), have become operational.

However, he added that strict implementation would be enforced from the next month where a maximum fine of Rs5,000 will be imposed on the truckers carrying overloaded vehicles.

The government, he added, was serious in development and proper maintenance of roads, as better transportation is necessary for improvement of all development related activities.

He highlighted several steps being taken in this regard and said that the Lyari Expressway was the project that would bring facelift to Karachi.

Describing the operation cleanup at Lyari riverbed as a step to rehabilitate the residents, providing them with a better standard of living, Gen Farrukh maintained that the future of people living in these settlements was bleak as the area was deprived of all respectable education or health facilities.

He described the two mega projects, the Lyari Expressway and the Karachi Northern Bypass, as the projects of national importance, from which the whole country will benefit. These are not new projects as they had been approved several years ago, but the present government has shown courage to launch them, he observed.

After the completion of these two projects, he added, Karachi would have a reduced level of noise and air pollutions as a big load of heavy traffic will not pass directly through the city, whereas traffic will also become more orderly and most of all after the removal of all the settlements along the Lyari River it will become easier to clean its highly polluted water.

In reply to a question about harsh measures adopted during the operation cleanup and non-payment of compensation amount to the affected people of the Lyari Expressway project, he maintained that these issues were being handled by the provincial and local governments.

Gen Farrukh said that chairman NHA is authorized to approve projects up to Rs50 million, while mega projects, costing more than Rs200 million, are approved by the Ecnec.

The NHA chairman said discussion was underway with the World Bank for a Rs32 billion M-5 project which would be completed in a period of five to seven years.

He added that a memorandum of understanding has been signed with the forest department to plant trees along the highways all over the country.

Earlier, chairman NHA briefed Sindh governor at the Mauripur Bridge, where the Lyari Expressway has its finish point. Deputy chairman of planning commission Dr Shahid Amjad, City Nazim Naimatullah Khan, DCO Shafiqur Rehman Paracha and other officials of the provincial government were also present.—PPI/APP