Daily Times

NA panel asks NHA to suspend toll tax in flooded areas

On Thursday, the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Communications recommended the National High Authority (NHA) halt collecting toll taxes on roadways affected by recent nationwide flooding.

During a meeting presided over by Abdul Ghaffar Wattoo, the committee members objected to the collection of toll tax on the highways that had been destroyed by calamitous rains and floods in order to assist the affected individuals.

The committee was briefed on the state’s roadway system. It was reported that the NHA had a network of 48 roads, consisting of 13 motorways, 32 highways, and three strategic routes, with a total length of 14,480 kilometers.

Sindh and Balochistan, according to officials from the NHA, are plagued by persistent flooding. In addition, a substantial portion of the Indus Highway in Sindh was buried by floodwater.

The committee members questioned why the NHA imposed a toll on such roads. Abrar Ali Shah told NHA officials, “Effective immediately, we will no longer collect tolls.” “Give the people some convenience,” he continued.

The committee requested that the NHA cease the collection of tolls in flood-affected and road-damaged regions. The NHA representatives told the committee that they would consider the request for a temporary toll-free passage in the flood-affected districts.

NA panel asks NHA to suspend toll tax in flooded areas

The NHA officials informed the committee that work is now being conducted on 64 initiatives, including 48 new schemes, with a total budget of Rs1,172 billion allocated for these programmes.

Under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, according to the NHA, four road projects have been completed (CPEC). They added that the Zhob-Kuchlak road, a CPEC Western Corridor project, had been delayed as a result of the litigation.

The committee was informed that 82% of the work on the Basima-Khuzdar project and 24% of the work on the Hoshab-Awaran part of the Motorway-8 (M-8) had been completed, and that authorization had been granted for the Awaran-Naal section of the M-8.

Similarly, the committee was informed that the reconstruction of the Chitral-Shandur road and the Gilgit-Shandur road was underway. The official added that under the public-private partnership, the Rawalpindi-Kharian Motorway, the Kharian-Sialkot Motorway, the Hyderabad-Sukkur Motorway, and the Lyari Corridor would be constructed.