Murad Saeed For New Ways To Generate More Revenue For Highway Building Schemes

Minister of State for Communications Murad Saeed Tuesday stressed upon the need of seeking new ways and means for generating more revenue for highway building schemes to ensure sustainable development in the country.

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 23rd Oct, 2018 ) :Minister of State for Communications Murad Saeed Tuesday stressed upon the need of seeking new ways and means for generating more revenue for highway building schemes to ensure sustainable development in the country.

In order to avoid delay in completion of projects, planning stage needed to be studied at deeper level effectively, he said.

He was addressing the meeting of the National Highway Council held here at Ministry of Communications. Federal Secretary Communications Shoaib Ahmed Siddiqui, Secretary Finance Arif Ahmad Khan, Chairman NHA/ Secretary NHC Jawwad Rafique Malik, Highway Construction and Management Professional Prof Mumtaz Ahmad Kamal, Finance and Accounts Professional Akhtar Hanif Aziz participated in the meeting.

NHA's Member Administration Ali Sher Mehsud, Member Finance Shoaib Ahmad Khan, Member Planning Asim Amin, Member (Engr-Coord) Arbab Ali and senior officers from Ministry of Communications and National Highway Authority were also present.

The council agreed to NHA's business plan for increasing revenue, policy on Public Private Partnership mode for construction of highways and motorways, construction of hotels and motel on NHA's rest areas of increasing tourism sites and linkage of farm to market roads with highways to facilitate the farmers to transport their agricultural produces to larger markets.

Murad Saeed said vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan with regard to functioning of Ministry of Communications and National Highway Authority (NHA) is very clear and simple. The present government intended to reduce dependency on national exchequer for road building projects in the country.

Availability of new resources of revenue generation would pave the way for sustainable economic development, and by grace of Allah Almighty we shall soon be in position to generate more revenue in communications sector.

He desired to utilize the public money in a more useful way. He said linkage of highways with tourism sites and provision of maximum travelling and civic amenities would generate employment opportunities.

He said NHA's Right of Way may prove a source of earning heavy income for NHA. Development and extension of national highways and motorways network and to make travelling comfortable and environment friendly stands among our priorities, he added.

Federal Secretary Communications Shoaib Ahmed Siddiqui said Ministry of Communications was advancing its projects as per vision of the present government.

He said clear targets and destination eased the course of action. He proposed the NHA to introduce model pilot project to attract the people in revenue generating schemes. He desired such conditions wherein sustainable economic growth could be ensured.

Chairman NHA/ Secretary NHC Jawwad Rafique Malik said the NHA was making practical advancement towards increasing its revenue sources.

He said highways and motorways projects were underway on basis of Public Private Partnership (PPP). He further said toll collection system was being improved and Electronic Toll Traffic Management system was being installed gradually at toll plazas.

He said organized utilization of NHA's right of way may give NHA heavy amounts. Establishment of new service areas and provision of facilities may also increase revenue of NHA.

He said NHA was also laying Optic Fibre Cable along 800 km long network including Lahore-Abdul Hakeem Motorway and Multan-Sukkur Motorway with a view to generate revenue.

It was informed that during the last few years 4 schemes of NHA were completed on PPP basis at cost of Rs134 billion while four new projects were being initiated at cost of Rs350 billion.