Possible extension of contracts challenged in court

An expected extension of toll plazas’ contracts without open bidding by NHA was challenged in court.

ISLAMABAD: An expected extension of toll plazas’ contracts without open bidding by National Highway Authority (NHA) was challenged in court on Tuesday.

Zulfiqar Ahmed filed a writ petition in Islamabad High Court (IHC) alleging that the authority plans to violate its own rules by extending contracts of toll plazas across the country without asking for new bids. Ahmed named NHA Chairperson Chaudhry Altaf Ahmed and the general manager operation as respondents. According to Ahmed, NHA took down an advertisement from its website inviting bids on 11 toll plazas.

According to NHA rules, a toll plaza contract can only be extended for one year. The companies currently authorised to collect toll won their contracts back in 2009. Their contracts were extended for one more year in 2010. Now the authority is liable to invite open bids, according to Ahmed.

Justice Anwar Kasi will take up the case on Thursday.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 16^th, 2011.