Federal Minister for Communications Dr Arbab Alamgir Khan told a meeting of the National Highway Council (NHC) that the governments of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) and Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) had requested the federal government take up construction of a 370 km strategic Chitral-Gilgit road. He said landslides and other natural disasters on Karakoram Highway (KKH) regularly cut off G-B and this new road will provide more access to that area.
The NHC approved the construction of the Chitral-Gilgit road as an alternative route to G-B.
On the matter of privatization of toll collection, he said it will bring transparency to the system and increase the resources of NHA. He also directed NHA to explore the installation of E-Toll systems on all toll plazas.
The NHC approved the creation of a new NHA office in G-B owing to the growing needs of the region. The NHC was told that NHA maintains 623 km of roads in the G-B region and it deserves a separate setup.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 15th, 2011.
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