ISLAMABAD: The National Highways Authority (NHA) is receiving less funding than what is needed, and is bearing the brunt of the country’s general budgetary restrictions, which are impeding the execution of its development initiatives.
Asim Amin, a member of the Planning NHA, made this statement in response to queries at Wednesday’s “Khuli Ketchehry.”
He said that there are some general financial restrictions with the government and that the NHA is receiving less money than what is needed.
Asim added that to speed up work on projects where it has either stopped or slowed down, NHA is anticipating improved disbursement in the third quarter of the current fiscal year.
According to him, the Sukkur–Hyderabad motorway (M–6) would be finished in 2.5 years, subject to the availability of the necessary materials.
The project is being financed using a Public Private Partnership (PPP) model, with a projected construction cost of Rs. 300 billion and a 3-year government contribution of Rs. 9 billion.
He said that in July 2023, construction on the Peshawar-Torkham Road connecting with the Afghan border will be put out to bid with World Bank finance, adding that, the motorway network would be finished up to the Afghan border after development.
Asim said that Frontier Works Organization (FWO), whose land acquisition and construction efforts have already begun, had been given the contract to build the Sialkot-Kharian road.
The project award for the Kharian to Rawalpindi route, he claimed, has been made, and land acquisition is already underway.
Furthermore, a dual carriageway on the Indus Highway, according to the NHA official, will also be made possible with funding from the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
