Govt plans to improve road infrastructure

Minister says he will personally visit various districts to examine needs

ISLAMABAD : Provincial Minister for Communication Mir Tariq Magsi has said the poor road infrastructure is a matter of grave concern for the government as it not only causes problems to the people but also results in accidents.

The minister, in a statement on Sunday, said that considering the gravity of the situation, the provincial government was planning to improve communications system for the welfare of local people and also for boosting tourism.

He said he would himself visit every district to examine the communications network as well as infrastructure needs. He added that Ziarat, Mach, Jhal Magsi, Barkan and Pishin districts would be given priority.

He said since better roads are vital to curtailing accidents and saving human lives, the issue of improving road infrastructure would top the agenda of the next cabinet meeting. He, however, called for working on other issues also to control road accidents.



The minister hinted at steps to improve rescue service to protect human lives during incidents.

He also asked the National Highway Authority (NHA) to launch a comprehensive drive to sensitise people on safety measures. He directed the NHA to install cameras on highways to check speeding and violation of traffic laws.

According to a report from the Balochistan Levies, as many as 150 accidents have occurred so far this year in which many innocent lives have been lost. The dilapidated road infrastructure in Balochistan is a major cause of the accidents, says the report.

Ateeq Kakar, a resident of Ziarat, told APP that traveling from Quetta to Ziarat or vice versa was a hectic exercise due to the dilapidated condition of roads.

“In emergency cases, it becomes difficult to shift patients to Quetta, and the condition of patient normally worsens during the journey,” he said.