Senate body for dependable network of roads & highways
By Asghar Ali Mubarak

ISLAMABAD—The Senate Standing Committee on Communications has directed the Ministry of Communications and National Highway Authority (NHA) to expedite work on the Gawadar-Hoshab, and Hoshab-Panjgoor Road Projects in view of their vital national importance and to ensure that quality of work remains of high standard.
The Committee, which met at the Parliament House Tuesday morning under the Chairmanship of Senator Kamil Ali Agha also expresses its serious concern over the incident of collapse of the Northern By-Pass Bridge in Karachi, which resulted in the loss of several precious lives besides causing damage to property, and directed that every effort should be made to ensure that such incidents do not recur in future. It also instructed that inquiry into the matter (being conducted by the PMIC) be expedited to ascertain the cause of the incident and necessary amendments may be introduced in the design while undertaking reconstruction of the collapsed bridge. It further directed that appropriate departmental and punitive action may be initiated against those found responsible as the incident brought the whole country into disrepute.
The Committee observed that National Highways have a very vital role in the over all development of the country and improvement of the quality of life of the people, therefore, it must have a sound and dependable all-weather network of roads and highways. Only this can ensure that fruits of development would reach the common man, it maintains.
Earlier, the Chairman NHA briefed the Committee on the Gawadar-Turbat-Hoshab and Hoshab-Panjgoor Road Project. He informed that the Gawadar-Hoshab Road Project (M-8) is an 892 km project and is an important link being developed with the long term aim of connecting Gawadar Port via RCD highway (N-25) and Indus Highway (N-55) for providing connectivity to Afghanistan and China besides the up country. he said M-8 has been divided into three sections: I. Gawadar-Turbat-Hoshab 240 km II. Hoshab-Awaran-Khuzdar 410 km III. Khuzdar-Wangu Hills-Ratodero 242 km(total= 892 km). Similarly, he informed that National Highway (N-85) passes through Khuzdar and Panjgoor Districts of Balochistan covering 454 km. presently, it is a rural track having only 192 km narrow black top to cater for local needs used mainly by trucks carrying oil and transporting fruit. NHA has planned rehab, improvement, widening and construction of this road to a 2-lane (7.3 m wide) carriageway to link Gawadar with the national highway network and to provide a shortest link to Afghanistan / CARs.
The NHA also presented a detailed report of the inquiry committee entrusted with the task of ascertaining damages occurred to the Mekran Coastal Highway due to heavy floods / Cyclone occurring in June this year. The Committee instructed while undertaking the gigantic task of repair and reconstruction, the NHA and other departments / agencies concerned must strive to ensure that in case of future flash floods, the road would be able to withstand the calamity.
The Committee appreciated the work done by the NHA in M-I and congratulated the officers and staff on successful completion. The Committee on receiving complaints regarding recruitment of non-locals for junior most positions and violation of rules directed that the locals must be given preference over others for BPS-1-4 jobs, as this fact is resulting in heart-burning in certain areas and localities especially in Balochistan.
The meeting was attended, among others, by Senators Mir Muhammad Naseer Mengal, Naeem Hussain Chattha, Abdul Ghaffar Qureshi, Lt. Gen. (R) Javed Ashraf, Nawab Muhammad Ayaz Khan Jogezai, Liaquat Ali Bangulzai and Dr. Muhammad Ismail Buledi besides Minister for Communications Barrister Habib-ur-Rehan, Chairman NHA and senior officials of the Ministry of Communications, NHA and Motorway Police.