The Senate Standing Committee on Communications sought details from the National Highway Authority regarding wrongdoings committed in the leasing of its rest house in Naran. The committee also raised concerns over an exorbitant increase in toll tax on the Islamabad Lahore motorway (M2).
The meeting was held at the Parliament House under the chairmanship of Senator Prince Omar Ahmadzai. Senator Manzoor Kakar of the Baluchistan Awami Party (BAP) raised an issue regarding the leasing process of the NHA rest house at Naran.
He said the NHA rest house in Naran was leased out to a private party to generate revenue but there are reports that it could not serve that purpose. He questioned how much revenue NHA has earned so far from this rest house.
Committee Chairman Senator Prince Omar Ahmadzai directed NHA to submit a report regarding this issue before the next meeting. The committee also expressed its extreme displeasure over the absence of the Federal Minister for Communications Murad Saeed, Secretary Communications, and Chairman NHA from the meeting.
Meanwhile, Senator Kamil Ali Agha took up an issue of an increase in toll tax on Islamabad-Lahore Motorway (M-2). He asked how NHA can increase toll tax from Rs.160 to Rs. 910 in just a few years.
NHA Member Planning and Design Asim Amin informed the committee that the government provides cash development loans to the NHA for PSDP projects and at present NHA is under a debt of about Rs. 2.3 trillion.
He said that the authority requires about Rs. 70 billion for the maintenance of 13000 km long road network but it collects a total revenue of Rs. 35 billion annually.
He said the government had given Islamabad-Lahore Motorway to a private firm on Public-Private Partnership mode in 2016 for 25 years as there was a requirement of about Rs. 40 billion to rehabilitate this motorway but the government could not provide the funds.
Senator Kamil Ali Agha said that separate details should be shared as to how much toll tax is collected from Lahore-Islamabad Motorway alone.
The meeting of the standing committee was attended by Senators Saifullah Abro, Dinesh Kumar, Mohammad Akram, Kamil Ali Agha, Manzoor Ahmed Kakar, Shamim Afridi, Umar Farooq, Ahmed Khan besides Additional Secretary Ministry of Communications, Member Engineering NHA, Member Planning NH A, and other officials.