PESHAWAR, Nov 22: NWFP Governor Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah on Thursday approved the organizational setup of the newly created Frontier Highways Authority, its future range of activities, functions and responsibilities.

The governor took this decision at a high-level meeting held at the Governor House. The meeting also decided that roads and highways going through more than two districts would be declared provincial roads and provincial highways.

The provincial highways authority would look after the repair, maintenance and constructions of such roads. The strategic goal of the FHA would be to conceive, plan and oversee the construction, improvement, maintenance and repair of a network of highways and roads and any other task to be given by the provincial government.

The meeting took certain decisions including about determining of the status of roads to be looked after by the FHA.

The governor said the authority should have a dynamic but focused and targeted role. The authority should be manned by professionals in the field.

The governor said that professional expertise would be hired from the market and the repair, maintenance and construction would be undertaken under contractual arrangements. Before the award of work, it would be widely advertised through the laid-down procedure.

Mr Iftikhar directed removing of the lacunas and deficiencies in the process of land acquisition “because the present one was breeding corruption and irregularities.” He said there should be a transparent mechanism so that no one could misuse it in the days ahead.

The governor said the resources must go to the development side and the results and benefits of the development must be visible. The governor said that unfortunately, in the past, the public sector promoted an approach of ‘conglomeration’. It created institutions and ran facilities which should have been the job of public sector.

He said the road network and developmental activities initiated by the government would be handed over to the district governments after their completion.

The governor said the roads and highways to be handed over to the FHA should be first declared and determined as provincial one in a categorical and unambiguous manner.