Sukkur-Multan Motorway: 'Issue of double tax, traffic to be resolved within a week'

ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on Communications was informed that the issue of double tax and traffic on Sukkur-Multan Motorway would be resolved within a week.

The parliamentary panel met under the chairmanship of Hidayatullah in the chair, here on Tuesday, where the issue of public importance raised by Senator Atiq Sheikh in the House on August 13, 2020, regarding collection of double tax on Sukkur-Multan Motorway and payment of land purchased for construction of road from Kaghan to Babu Sartap and related issues were discussed.

The committee was also given a detailed briefing on the work and performance of Pakistan Post. The National Highways Authority (NHA) officials informed that the main reason for the obstacle on the said toll plaza was the separate completion of the two motorway projects due to which its toll tax contract was awarded to different companies.

The issue has now been resolved and the traffic at the toll plaza will flow uninterrupted within a week.

Hidayatullah said that payment of money to the owners of the land purchased for construction of road from Kaghan to Babu Sir Top was a very important issue, which had been pending for a long time. Senator Lieutenant General Salahuddin Tirmizi (retired) said that no payment had been made to the land owners for a long time, and despite raising the issue at various forums, no solution had been found.

He informed the committee that a meeting had been held with the secretary communications and the chairman NHA, in that regard, who had assured to present a plan of action for resolving the issue within two weeks.

Hidayatullah clarified to the officials of the Board of Revenue and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa that under the constitution, the said land was not legally acquired unless it was paid.

He said people had been wandering here and there for a long time for their legitimate money, so it was important that a workable solution be found to the issue as soon as possible.

The chairman NHA said that a meeting had been held with Senator Tirmizi, and they were trying to find a workable solution to the problem soon by reviewing all the issues.

The Committee considered the issue of public importance raised by Senator Sassui Palijo in the House on January 6, 2020 regarding the supply of gas in her constituency.

The chairman of the Committee directed that the officer who without approval from authorised authority issued a letter to the gas company, which caused delay in the project, action should be taken against the official, and a report should be submitted to the committee within a month.

The committee was informed that the said gas company had to pay Rs7 million to the NHA of which Rs1.8 million had been paid, while for the remaining amount the chief minister Sindh would be requested to issue orders for the payment.

Senator Palijo said if the plans of the parliamentarians were treated like this then what would be the situation of the common man.

She said the concerned agencies should liaise with each other to ensure completion of the long-delayed gas supply project.

The chairman of the committee said that important obstacles in that regard should be removed.

The committee was also briefed by Pakistan Post regarding the work and performance of the organisation.

The committee was informed that Pakistan Post had launched several important projects in the current era under which various services of Pakistan Post had been modernised.

The committee was informed about the important projects including one-day mail delivery, tracking system, e-commerce and electronic money order projects.

Besides, rest houses of Pakistan Post have been opened to the public at reasonable rates across the country, the committee was told.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020