ISLAMABAD - Taking serious notice of extraordinary delay in Balochistan road projects, the PML-N government has planned to monitor the progress of dozens of projects which are pending due to plethora of reasons.
“Five main Balochistan projects are on the priority of the incumbent government and in this regard senators of concerned standing committee will also visit Quetta today (Tuesday),” sources in Communication Ministry told The Nation.
Two senior officials of National Highways Authority (NHA) including Raja Nosherwan and Yousaf ali Khan will share the reasons of the delayed projects and also brief future strategy on it, they said.
Sources said the committee will monitor the reasons behind the delay of all these projects, which are pending due to different reasons.
It would not be out of place to mention here that paucity of funds has always stated to be one of the main reasons behind the delay in execution of important development projects in the country but in case of Balochistan deteriorating law and order situation and non-availability of technical experts and contractors are the main reasons. Due to these reasons, the sources said, even the contractors and technical experts from other provinces are reluctant to work there.
According to details, among 19 development projects including road linkage with Gwadar Port (which is important for transit trade), Gwadar-Turbat-Hoshab road project and most of others are still under-construction even after passing the stipulated dates. Around 40 per cent work is still pending on Sorab-Basima-Naag-Panjgur-Hoshab (454-km) road.
The projects which could not be completed even after passing of the stipulated dates are N-25, widening of Kalat-Quetta-Chaman, Kalat-Quetta (60-km), Quetta-Chaman (57-km), Lakpass Tunnel (180-metre), Muslim Bagh-Qila Saifulla (50-km), Ormara-Pasni section and others. Other substantially completed projects include Khanozai-Muslim Bagh section (50-km), Liari-Ormara section, Ormara and others.
Arbab Alamgir, former minister for communication, had also shared with this newspaper that due to law and order situation technical experts from Punjab were not willing to work in Balochistan.
The Communication Ministry’s portfolio is still with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and soon the government will give this responsibility to some other legislator from ruling party PML-N.
Technical experts shared that the increasing cost of country’s vital communication projects, probably running into billions of rupees, is not only causing delay in completion of national projects, but also the ministry is compelled not to touch any of the new projects because it has to complete the ongoing schemes.
They further said that astronomical escalation cost running into billion of rupees in delayed mega development projects throughout the country, especially of Balochistan province, could only be avoided if smooth funding is provided for next 10 years in budgetary allocation, which seems difficult amid global recession.
In order to complete the delayed road projects of comparatively deprived province, the PPP government had also tried to speed up work on Balochistans communication projects but failed to accomplish this task.
The most important delayed projects of communication ministry whose cost is escalating with each passing year are: Islamabad-Murree Expressway, Lowari Tunnel, Karakorum Highway (KKH), Northern bypass, Faisalabd-Multan Motorway (M-4), and some others.
The Islamabad-Murree Expressway (IME) was actually initiated with the cost of Rs 3 billion during Pakistan Muslim League (N) government’s tenure (1997-99) and now the project cost is near Rs 12 billion, according to details of the project.