Services Areas of Motorway: don't extend contract with Daewoo, National Assembly body tells NHA

National Assembly's Standing Committee on Communication has directed the National Highway Authority (NHA) not to extend its agreement with DAEWOO (A Korean Company) regarding Services Areas of Motorway (M-2) and to take strong measures to recover outstanding amount of Rs 634 million from the Company.
These directives were given to the NHA in a meeting of the National Assembly Standing on Communication held here on Friday with Saeed Ahmed Zafar in the Chair. Dr Arbab Alamgir Khan, Minister for Communications, Captain Rai Ghulam Mujtaba Khural (Retd), Mahboob Ullah Jan, Abdul Majeed Khan Khanan Khail, Dr Araish Kumar, Dr Darshan, Murtazà Javed Abbasi, Sheikh Salahuddin, Pir Saddar-ud-Din Shah MNAs, and senior officers of the Ministry and National Highways & Motorway Police participated in the meeting.
During the meeting the NHA Chairman admitted that the Service Area of M-2 was not being run by the original signatory of the agreement (DAEWOO) and the original contract is missing from the office of NHA. The Committee took serious notice of the matter and directed him to hold an Inquiry and take strict action against those responsible for security of NHA record in NHA Head Office.
The meeting was told that Ministry of Finance and Planning Division were not co-operating with Ministry of Communications in respect of lowering the water level of Attaabad Lake (GB) as Chinese companies have shown their keeness to cooperate and prepared for the early resolution of this important strategic issue.
The Committee further apprised that NHA had won the case from the International Court of Law against BYNDER (A Turkish Construction Company) and $49 million were lying with Ministry of Finance, and if NHA gets this amount, many important and strategic roads/Lowari Tunnel could be completed within the stipulated time. The Committee observed that this is NHA's preferential right to get this amount meant for Road Sector.