LAHORE
Federal Minister for Communications Aleem Khan said on Saturday that l government was working to improve road infrastructure across Pakistan through self-generated resources with the National Highway Authority (NHA) revenue target increased from Rs.66 billion to Rs.160 billion for the current year and its expenditure capped at Rs.50 billion.
He said,additional revenue generated through toll taxes and other sources would be utilized for constructing new roads and improving infrastructure across the country.
While addressing a meeting here at Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), the Federal Minister discussed major road projects,the financial sustainability of the NHA,industrial financing,regional trade connectivity and the need to address concerns raised by the business community.
LCCI President, Senior Vice President(VP) Sardar Ghani,members of the Executive Committee and senior members also spoke at the meeting.
Abdul Aleem Khan said that a substantial portion of the authority’s income was consumed by salaries, routine road maintenance,repairs and emergency rehabilitation of roads and bridges damaged by floods.
Referring to development funding,he mentioned Rs.224 billion allocated for ongoing projects under the 2024 Public Sector Development Program (PSDP).
He said a major share of the development funds was intended for national highway projects in Balochistan.
Federal Minister said that he had already presented proposals to the Prime Minister for Ease of Doing Business and address the difficulties faced by the industrial sector.
He urged banks to consider rescheduling loans of industrialists affected by high interest rates so that closed industrial units could be revived and business activity restored.
Running a business with loans carrying an interest rate of 25 percent was extremely difficult.
Aleem Khan assured the business community that its proposals and concerns would be presented to the Prime Minister and that he would make every possible effort to resolve the issues falling within his remit.
He emphasized that facilitating businesses was essential for strengthening Pakistan’s economy.
He said, work was underway on a proposed route intended to reduce the distance between Lahore and Islamabad from approximately 380 kilometers to 280 kilometers.
The project was expected to improve connectivity for Gujranwala, Gujrat, Lalamusa, Kharian and Jhelum, while reducing travel time from around three and a half hours to two and a half hours.
The project was being pursued with the aim of completion by the following year.
Abdul Aleem Khan said additional revenue generated through toll taxes had played an important role in making the Faisalabad road project possible.
He said that without these additional resources, the project might have remained delayed for several more years. He also referred to the dangerous conditions on the previous road and the risks faced by Motorway Police personnel while managing traffic and accidents.
He said that Sialkot Motorway was being expanded from four lanes to six lanes.
He also referred to an additional Rs 10 billion agreed from NHA-generated resources for the expansion.
Lahore–Khyber Motorway project was targeted for completion in 2027 and would improve road connectivity towards Khyber.
He said that Balochistan Expressway project was intended to improve access to remote areas and reduce the risks associated with dangerous roads and frequent accidents.
The project was expected to be completed by the end of the following year.
