ISLAMABAD: A Senate committee meeting took an unexpected turn after it was revealed that a new motorway planned between Lahore and Raiwind would span only 16 kilometres – raising eyebrows and tough questions.
Th Senate Standing Committee on Planning and Development, chaired by Senator Quratulain Marri, was reviewing development projects when officials from the Planning Ministry shared the surprising details.
Officials explained that the short motorway project is part of the Public Sector Development Pro-gramme (PSDP).
Last fiscal year, Rs1 trillion was spent under PSDP, and this year, 55 unapproved projects have been included. These projects will need No Objection Certificates (NOCs) from the Planning Commission after a full review.
The committee was also informed that Rs100 billion has been allocated for the N-5 Highway in Balochi-stan.
Meanwhile, seven highway projects will be backed by foreign aid.
The Islamic Development Bank will support three sections of the M-6 Motorway, and two more sec-tions will be built through public-private partnerships. The GT Road along the Hyderabad-Sukkur route will also be upgraded.
Chairperson Quratulain Marri strongly remarked that no new motorway should be built in Punjab until incomplete projects in other provinces are finished.
She questioned the logic behind the Lahore-Raiwind project, asking, “Are you building a motorway just for one house?” Officials replied that the Punjab government will bear the cost, while the National Highway Authority (NHA) is currently conducting a land survey.
Senator Sadia Abbasi expressed concern about termite damage to books in Islamabad’s public library and proposed establishing an Allama Iqbal Research Center and a new library in the capital. She stressed that development funds must be used wisely and pointed out how legitimate concerns are often wrongly taken as criticism of ministers. –Agencies
