ISLAMABAD: The Asian Deve­lopment Bank has approved a loan of $197 million for the national highway development project of Balochistan.

Under the project the two-lane highways of Zhob-Mughalkot and Qila Saifullah Waghum will be rehabilitated.

The National Highway Authority will be the executing agency for the rehabilitation of 79km Zhob-Mughal­kot (N50) project and 128km Qila Saifullah Waghum (N70) highway.

With the rehabilitation of the two highways, a dependable road transport network will emerge to promote inter-provincial connectivity, reduce transportation time and provide all-weather roads to the travelling community.

The ADB says the project will help boost economic growth and reduce poverty which will bring substantial social and economic development to the region.

Know more: US to provide $90m for Balochistan highway

It says that despite the large potential as a transport hub, economic development in Balochistan has been in doldrums because of poor security and political instability and its transport infrastructure is in bad shape, hardly serviceable for regional transit traffic.

The length of national highways in the province is about 2300km, and Balochistan has still the lowest density of roads among the four provinces. Poor connectivity and access continue to be a major problem, which particularly affects the poor who live mostly in rural areas.

Published in Dawn, July 6th, 2014