Senate body seeks report on completion of DG Khan, Quetta road project
Senate body seeks report on completion of DG Khan, Quetta road project
Abid Raza Kazmi
Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Senate Standing Committee on Planning Development and Reform has sought completion report of Dera Ghazi Khan and Quetta Road project from National Highway Authority. The committee also emphasized NHA to invite the overseas Pakistanis investors for investment in different infrastructural projects initiated by the authority and other department in the country.

ISLAMABAD: Senate Standing Committee on Planning Development and Reform has sought completion report of Dera Ghazi Khan and Quetta Road project from National Highway Authority. The committee also emphasized NHA to invite the overseas Pakistanis investors for investment in different infrastructural projects initiated by the authority and other department in the country.

A meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Planning, Development and Reform was held Friday and chaired by Senator Agha Shahzaib Durrani here in at the Parliament House.

The meeting was attended by Senator Engineer Rukhsana Zuberi and senior officers of the Ministry of Planning Development and Reform, Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE), National Highway Authority (NHA) and Pakistan Public Private Partnership Authority (PPPA).

The meeting commenced with a briefing on the DG Khan/Quetta Road Project. The committee was informed that this road (N50) began at Kuchlak 26 Km north of Quetta and ran via Muslim Bagh, Killa Saifullah, Zhob and Mughal Kot. Speaking about road maintenance the committee said that annual average maintenance cost was Rs40 million.

Senator Engineer Rukhsana Zuberi was of the view that to maintain quality it was imperative that the company and engineers took full onus of the project. She said that in bygone years the system was to inscribe the name of the Engineer on the Tablet of the project. She said that this practice must be renewed.

Questioning the practice of hiring foreign consultants she said that he Committee must be informed about the reason for choosing a single bidder along with all documentation. Speaking about revenue generating schemes at NHA Senator Engr. Rukhsana Zuberi said that investment opportunities for overseas Pakistanis must be developed. Chairman Committee Agha Shahzaib Durrani recommended that Infrastructure bonds be introduced.

Discussing the role and working of PIDE, Senator Engr. Rukhsana Zuberi stressed the need of translating knowledge into practice. She asserted the need for implementation and to build a liaison between research and implementing organizations