BAHAWALPUR, Aug 25: Punjab Governor Khalid Maqbool has uttered his disquiet at the slow pace of construction work of a new highway bridge over river Sutlej near here.

Dawn learnt on Monday that the governor during his Lodhran visit the other day did not satisfy with the briefing given on the bridge by officials of the National Highway Authority. At this, the governor asked these officials that he would himself inspect the site of the bridge from Lodhran side.

After a short while the governor led his entourage to the site and was too disappointed to inspect the work. The governor noted that neither the manpower nor the required machinery was adequate at the site.

The governor directed the officials to present him the entire details and record of the under-construction bridge at Lodhran before his departure to Lahore. The NHA officials had to hand over a file to the governor at the Lodhran helipad when he was about to take off for Multan enroute to Lahore.

It may be mentioned that the construction work on the new highway bridge over river Sutlej, with a total length of 585 meters and with 14 pillars, was started in December 2002.

It will cost over Rs21 million and is scheduled to be completed by December 2004, but so far the boring of only three pillars has been done in eight months by the NHA contractor.