ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly Standing Committee on Communications has taken National Highway Authority (NHA) Chairman Asadullah Khan to task for delays in completing major highways, including the Sukkur-Shikarpur road (N-65) and the Dera Murad Jamali Bypass.
The chairman, who was recently reinstated after his removal, apologised particularly for a report presented by NHA officials on the condition of N-65.
The committee observed that the highway was still dilapidated, but the NHA report had declared it satisfactory.
Committee members Agha Rafiullah and Muhammad Sheharyar reprimanded the NHA chief and the officials concerned for describing the road’s condition as ‘satisfactory’.
‘We, being public representatives, are facing the wrath of the people because of the dilapidated condition of the road, while NHA officials are claiming otherwise,’ said Mr Sheharyar. He said the road’s deteriorated condition had caused frequent accidents.
He said the NHA had been given two months at the last meeting to get the road repaired, but theauthority had done nothing. ‘Rather, a false report was presented before the committee. Is this the respect shown to the committee and public representatives? Action must be taken against the officials who prepared the report, he added.
When committee Chairman Ijaz Jakhrani asked to move on to other agenda items, Mr Rafiullah asked him: ‘Do you just want to finish the agenda of the meeting or resolve the issue?’ He said Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi had rightly observed that the country’s system had virtually collapsed due to a lack of governance.
The PPP MNA pointed out that contracts were being awarded without adequate planning and proper technical assessments, resulting in substandard construction and wastage of public funds.
Taking serious notice, the committee directed the NHA to submit a comprehensive, project-wise report identifying cases of substandard construction and projects undertaken without adequate planning. The report is to contain complete details of every project, including pre-contract planning, feasibility studies, surveys, soil investigations, load evaluations, technical assessments, construction standards and post-comple-tion evaluation criteria.
The committee stressed that the report must clearly reflect the procedures and technical standards followed before the award of contracts and after the completion of projects, to ensure accountability and prevent a recurrence of such practices.
It also directed the NHA to immediately post a capable and competent general manager at Sukkur and share the posting orders with the committee. It noted that the previous GM had been suspended in September 2026 and said a suitable replacement must be posted without further delay so that ongoing work and administrative affairs did not suffer.
MNA Sardar Yaqoob Khan raised the issue of inordinate delay in the construction of the Dera Murad Jamali Bypass, saying the project had remained incomplete for 20 years. ‘The NHA has awarded contracts for different segments of the project to several contractors and has not been able to build even a 5km stretch of the road in one go,’ he said.
In response, Chairman Khan asked committee members to legislate on the matter.
Thereplyfurther angered members, one of whom said it was an internal issue of NHA planning and asked why the chairman needed legislation for it.