The National Highway Authority (NHA), the country’s top transportation infrastructure body, owes over Rs 73,000 million to various contractors for approximately 40 construction projects nationwide due to severe financial constraints. As per documents available with Daily Times, the NHA has launched over 37 development schemes across the country which includes building of new roads, construction of bridges, rehabilitation, dualization, up-gradation and others. Non-payments of said payments to the relevant construction companies also causing delay in completion of projects in stipulated time. “Although restricted working hours by concerned provincial or local governments, worst law and order situations, hurdles by locals, unsupportive climatic have also been reasons for non-completion of projects within given time such, but non-payment to contractors was a major reason for such delay,” said an official privy to the matter, adding that it becomes highly challenging for a company to chase any task without funds. The suffering of locals due to belatedly completion was apart, he recalled. As per documents, the NHA has to pay several contractors against 36 major projects while some of these schemes have been further fabricated into portions. The certified financial liabilities for construction 146 kilometers (km) Hoshab-Awaran Road on M-8 (Balochistan) were Rs 1,978 million out of total contract cost of Rs 7,314 million. Likewise, the authority has to pay liabilities Rs 501 million against 22km dualization of Quetta western bypass. The contractor is waiting for his Rs 500 million for building Mashkel Road project. So far, physical progress of this project could not exceed 64 per cent, stated the documents. A contractor who owed to rehabilitate and up-grade 54km Bela-Awaran road still waits for his Rs 2,298 million while the total contract cost PC-1 of the scheme was Rs 6,954 million. In 168 km Hoshab-Awaran-Khuzdar section M-8 project, the NHA’s liabilities are Rs 1,832. Similarly, the dualization of Khuzdar-Kuchlak on N-25 have been divided into six sections in which Rs 1,484 million are pending with the authority to pay the concerned company. Rehabilitation and up gradation of (Jhalihao to Bela Road) was approved against Rs 7,208 in PC-1 while despite significant progress, through-forward funds of Rs 3,980 are yet to be paid to the builder. Moreover, the NHA has to pay Rs 281 million and Rs 3,470 million against construction of flyover at the junction N-5 and N-65 at Sukkur and additional carriageways Petaro-Sehwan (N-55) respectively. Creation of additional 2-lane carriageway from Petaro to Sehwan on N-55 was facing non-payment of over Rs 11,986.4 Many other projects are funds’ non-payments issue. These are included as Indus highway N-55 additional carriageway project, rehabilitation and construction of N-5 from Moro to Ranipur, construction of 73km link highway 4-lane connecting LSM to Narowal via Narang Mandi, construction of Kot Pindi Das Interchange on M-2, dualization of Pindi-Kahota Road including 4 lane bridge over Sihala railway pass and Kahuta bypass, construction of Bhong Interchange on Sukkur-Multan Motorways. The list further added the dualization and improvement of existing N-50 from Yarik to Sagu-Zhob bypass, dualization and improvement of old Banu Road, N-55, up-gradation and dualization of motorway link from Pindi Gheb to Kohat via Jand N-80, dualization of Indus highway N-55 Sarai Gambila to Kohat, construction of 216km Gilgit-Shandoor Road, improvement and widening 142km Chitral-Booni-Mastuj-Shandur (CPEC). The 32km Peshawar northern bypass, Shatial nullah bypass project, rehabilitation and up gradation of 38km Pezu-Tang road are also in the list the NHA still didn’t cleared dues worth million of rupees. As per available information, the NHA has already planned to achieve triple-digit revenue for current fiscal year. It generates revenue through various streams. Among these, toll collection from motorways and highways across the country remains one of the primary sources of income for the authority. Although the NHA’s annual revenue has significantly increased over the last five years, the department still faces a financial discrepancy of millions, with a large gap between its earnings and expenditures. Documents reveal that the authority’s revenue has nearly doubled, from Rs 32,394 million in 2018-19 to Rs 64,000 million in 2023-24. In five years, NHA has mount up money from various sources such as Rs 178,894 million from toll income, Rs 37291 million from police fine, Rs 6,197 million from weigh income. Moreover, the authority has collected Rs 23,734 through different type as fee against issuance of different NOCs and as rental charges. It has earned Rs 61,589 million from bank profit and auction in said span of five years.