MoU signed Malaysia to construct motorway section in Punjab

ISLAMABAD (April 27 2005): Pakistan and Malaysia on Tuesday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for construction of 184 kilometres long Faisalabad-Khanewal section of Motorway (M-4) at an estimated cost of Rs 17 billion. Chairman, National Highway Authority (NHA), Major General Farrukh Javed and Chairman of Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) Malaysia, Datuk Abdul Rahman Abdullah inked the agreement here at NHA head office. Federal Minister for Communications, Mian Shamim Siddiqui and Minister of Works of Malaysia, Dato Seri S. Samy Vellu were also present on the occasion.

According to the agreement, Faisalabad-Khanewal Motorway would have four lanes with the provision of upgradation up to six lanes and will be completed in four years.

Speed limit on the M-4 will be 120 Km/hour while 25 bridges, two major bridges, 85 subways, 436 culverts, 42 flyovers and five service areas are other prominent features of this mega project.

There would be seven interchanges at Faisalabad, Painsara, Gojra, Toba Tek Singh, Shorkot, Abdul Hakeem and Khanewal.

Speaking on the occasion, Federal Minister Shamim Siddiqui was of the firm belief that the signing of the MoU would open new avenues of co-operation between the two brotherly countries. He assured the visiting team that Pakistan would extend maximum co-operation for construction of Faisalabad-Khanewal Motorway.

Malaysian Minister for Works, Dato Seri Vellu said that the agreement would open a new chapter of co-operation in highway building between Malaysia and Pakistan.

He said that Malaysia has already experience of road building in other countries and their engineers will do their best for timely and quality construction of M-4.

Earlier, Chairman National Highway Authority Major General Farrukh Javed apprised the visiting delegates about construction and development of highways network in Pakistan.

He said that Karachi-Lahore-Peshawar National Highway (N-5) is the economic lifeline of the country, which he added, is being dialysed and work on this 1,819 kilometre long highway is in final stages.


Copyright Business Recorder, 2005