Prime Minister approves Faisalabad-Karachi motorway construction
RECORDER REPORT
ISLAMABAD (August 24 2005): Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz has approved construction of Faisalabad-Karachi four-lane motorway to provide another route between the southern and northern parts of the country, official sources told Business Recorder here on Tuesday.
They said that the Prime Minister had approved this project during a presentation about NHA motorways and national highway projects worth $261 million by National Highway Authority Chairman Major General Farrukh Javed.
The presentation was made in the wake of the World Bank offer of $2 billion to help in rehabilitating Pakistan's entire logistics network, including roads, railways and port facilities, which Pakistan government has accepted.
The meeting was informed that the 45km Torkham-Peshawar highway, 34km Peshawar bypass and Peshawar-Rawalpindi motorway were nearing completion while the motorway linking Rawalpindi with Lahore and Faisalabad is already in operation.
Sources said that meeting focused on improving Gwadar linkage to up north on fast-track basis and reviewed the progress of the under-construction Gwadar to Turbat to Ratto Dero national highway considering them as being vital for development of a national corridor linkage Torkham to Karachi.
The Prime Minister was also briefed on matters relating to the Multan-DG Khan, Qila Saifullah motorways, besides the Karakoram Highway and Lyari Expressway and Karachi Northern bypass.
The Prime Minister directed that in addition to constructing Faisalabad-Karachi motorway, the present Grand Trunk (GT) Road should be upgraded and improved, as with high economic growth, Pakistan needs a world class logistics chain.
Sources said that the Prime Minister also instructed NHA to ensure participation of reputed international construction companies along with national companies in the contract bids of NHA projects so that the country could also benefit from the latest construction technologies and investment through joint ventures.
The Secretary, Communication, Ports and Shipping Tariq Mahmood and other officials of Communication Ministry attended the briefing.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2005