MULTAN –National Highway Authority Chairman Muhammad Ali Gardezi disclosed on Monday that a Turkish company would start work on Motorway from March as Islamic Development Bank had released funds worth Rs. 1 billion for the project.
Talking to the journalists after a meeting to review the development projects of South Punjab region, he added that the Multan-Khanewal Motorway project was equally split into three 19-kilometer portions to accomplish it in time. He added that Turkish company’s machinery was unloaded at Karachi Dry Port.
He dispelled the impression that the design of Motorway was changed because of political pressure. “It’s just rumours. The project will be done according to its original design,” he added. To a query, he said that the all development projects of South Punjab would be accomplished even if Yousuf Raza quit the prime minister office. He disclosed that work on Rasheedabad flyover had begun while the tenders for Chungi No-6 and Gol Bagh flyovers had been released. He added that land acquiring for the abovementioned projects was underway.
He told the journalists that a new road would be constructed along Shujabad Canal to connect Bosan Road with N-70. He told the journalists that the work on construction of a 4.5 kilometer long patch between Bosan Road and Head Muhammadwala Punjab could not be launched as Punjab government did not release funds. “The federal and Punjab governments had to release an equal amount of funds for this project but the provincial government has released nothing so far, causing delay in launching of the project,” he added. He said that the NHA had just taken over this project from MDA and it would soon be accomplished.
On the issue of slow pace of work on different projects, he said that problems like hurdles in way of land acquiring and removal of utility installations caused such delays. He said that the NHA had no connection with land acquisition and this process was done by the revenue department.