ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly of Pakistan Standing Committee on Parliamentary Affairs expressed strong resentment over the National Highway Authority (NHA) for suspending road maintenance for the past two years despite collecting Rs 208 billion annually from toll plazas.
The committee termed the situation alarming and questioned why essential upkeep of national highways was halted despite massive revenue generation.
The Committee met with MNA Rana Iradat Sharif Khan in the chair at Parliament on Thursday.
Answering the questions of the members, the NHA official told the committee during the briefing that a total of Rs 131 million is being collected per month from toll plazas. He said that road maintenance has been stopped for the past two years. He said that a major amount is being collected from the Punjab and Sindh provinces.
The Committee was informed that, in compliance with the approval of the NHA Executive Board for revenue enhancement, a new toll plaza was established at Phoolnagar, located at KM 1215–1216, in March 2025. He said that initially, a temporary toll plaza with three lanes on each side was set up on the existing road. Due to the limited number of lanes, traffic congestion occurred frequently, he added.
Moreover, the Committee was told that following the introduction of the new toll collection regime, commuters’ response to toll payments was very slow. As a result, long queues of residents were observed at the toll booths. At present, a new 12-lane toll plaza (six lanes on each side) is 90 percent complete.
The Committee recommended that any instances of traffic congestion be promptly addressed to ensure the uninterrupted movement of vehicles and to provide greater convenience and comfort to the public.
The Secretary, Parliamentary Affairs briefed the Committee on the status of complained received regarding Pakistan Railways pensioners to the Prime Minister Delivery Unit.
The Member finance has briefed the committee that although Pakistan Railways has undertaken active liability management to address longstanding employee obligations, disbursing Rs 5.622 billion towards commutation payments (cleared up to 31 May 2023) and Rs 1.103 billion towards leave encashment (cleared up to 31 March 2024). While these measures, he said, reflect improved financial discipline and commitment to institutional responsibility, the organization continues to face a significant sustainability gap.
He said that against a current operational surplus of Rs 2.4 billion, immediate obligations amount to Rs 27.4 billion, highlighting a structural funding shortfall that requires strategic support and long-term financial restructuring to ensure sustainable operations.
The meeting was attended by MNAs Raja Osama Sarwar, Shaikh Aftab Ahmed, Raja Qamar-ul-Islam, Ch Mahmood Bashir Virk, Shazia Fareed, Naveed Aamir, Dr NikhatShakeel Khan, Hameed Hussain, Naeema Kishwer Khan, Secretary Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, senior officers of the Ministry of Railways, Ministry of Communications, Ministry of Finance, and officers of the Election Commission of Pakistan also attended the meeting.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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