NHA completed 46 road projects worth Rs 78b in four years

During the past four years, the National Highway Authority has completed 46 national highway projects at a cost of Rs 78 billion and an amount of Rs 245 billion has been allocated to almost four dozen road projects having length of 2,985km.
According to a source in the NHA, the ongoing road projects include improvement and extension of motorways/expressways and highways, Gwadar linkages and upgradation of Karakoram Highway (KKH) and a number of bridges, flyovers and interchanges creating thousands of direct and indirect jobs.
Great Trunk Road (N-5) is the major artery, linking the three provinces, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and Sindh, catering for the 65 per cent of goods transportation and passengers traffic and 80 per cent overall economic activities in the country.
He said that the improvement programme of GT road has been undertaken in collaboration with World Bank at a cost of Rs 29.1 billion covering 866.45 kilometres.
He said that NHA carried out restoration work on war footing and repaired the roads damaged in 2010 floods. Floods in 2010 devastated the communication network throughout the country damaging roads, culverts, retraining walls, causeway and 738km roads and 48 bridges were damaged, he added.
Moreover, he said the NHA has been building 12 major river bridges on the directive of the government out of which some projects, including Head Muhammadwala Bridge on the Chenab Tiver, Moosa Pak Shaheed (Tarapp) on the Sutlej River, Larkana-Khairpur Bridge on the Indus, and Thakot Bridge on the Indus have been completed.
PCP seminar on press freedom today: The Press Council of Pakistan (PCP) will organise a seminar on ‘Press Freedom and its Responsibilities’ on Thursday (today) on the occasion of the World Press Freedom Day.
During the seminar, PCP Chairman Raja Shafqat Abbasi, renowned journalists, Ghazi Salahuddin, Mujahid Brailvi, Prof Dr Muhammad Qaiser, Vice Chancellor Karachi University and Dr Rafia Taj, head of Mass Communication Department, Karachi University, will evaluate the press freedom in the country.
Tributes will be paid to the media persons who have rendered their lives while discharging their professional obligations in providing information to the public. A similar seminar will also be held at the Hyderabad Press Club on May 4.
PAL, PBM to initiate welfare projects for writers: Pakistan Academy of Letters (PAL) and Pakistan Bait-ul-Mall (PBM) would work on joint projects for the welfare of writers in future.
PAL Chairman Abdul Hameed said this in his meeting with PBM Deputy Managing Director Tariq Khurshid,.
The deputy managing director urged the PAL chairman to forward cases of ailing writers for financial assistance and also offered PAL to recommend deserving writers for whom the PBM would donate wheel chairs.
Talking about different programmes of PBM, Deputy Managing Director informed Chairman PAL that they also provide financial assistance to deserving students. Other than wheelchairs PBM also provide free cane sticks and some other items to retorted and ill persons. Abdul Hameed thanked Tariq Khurshid for meeting him and also assured full cooperation from PAL.
Forum on electoral reforms today: Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (PILDAT) will hold a forum on ‘State of Electoral Reforms in Pakistan’ on Thursday (today). The PILDAT is launching a ‘Citizens Monitoring Report on State of Electoral Reforms in Pakistan,’ the 2nd quarterly report of its kind, to monitor the progress of implementation of little-known but hugely important 5-year strategic plan of action of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).
The report covers the period till March 31. The Citizens’ Forum will be held to review the report as well as disseminate its findings on the state of electoral reforms in the country.
ECP Acting Secretary Akhter Hussain Sabir will share the ECP’s perspective with regard to preparation of computerised electoral rolls and progress on the 5-year strategic plan.
NADRA Chairman Arshad Ali Hakeem will give NADRA’s perspective in preparation of the computerised electoral rolls.