Rehabilitation of NHA flood-hit roads: ECNEC approves Rs 23.566 billion: Minister

Minister for Communications, Dr Arbab Alamgir Khan has said Executive Committee of National Economic Council (ECNEC) has approved Rs 23.566 billion PC-1 for the rehabilitation of highways damaged in 2010 flash floods.
Speaking at the 24th National Highways Council (NHA) meeting held on Friday, he further said that Asian Development Bank (ADB) would also provide $ 185 million for the purpose.
Beside Federal Secretary Communications, Anwar Ahmad Khan and Chairman NHAs, A. Syed Mohamamd Ali along with members of the NHA council also attended the meeting.
The minister said that last year's devastated floods had inflicted Rs 858 billion losses on the economy. The transport and communication departments suffered the loss of around Rs 113 billion.
The minister said that the funds are not sufficient to meet growing needs of the ministry provided by the government. During the last financial year the government provided Rs 44.637 billion to NHA under public sector development programme (PSDP), he said. The government had slashed developmental expenditure by 50 percent in last fiscal year, he maintained.
The minister said that the allocated funds have been decreased by Rs 18.5 billion after 50 percent cut from the actual allocation. He informed that the NHA had received total 18.112 billion because of which the department had timely released funds to contractors. All developmental work completed in stipulated period due to timely release of Rs 13.375 billion to contractual companies, he added.
He said the ministry gave briefing to Prime Minister Gilani last month and for the next financial year the prime minister had directed the NHA authority to focus on ongoing projects.
He welcomed the appointment of Syed Mohammad Gardazi as Chairman NHA and expressed the hope that the newly appointed chairman will play his role for development of the department through professional skills. Some important decisions regarding construction projects and other issues were also made during the meeting.