Sale of substandard items on motorways irks Senate body

Communications committee calls for improvement of washrooms at Rashakai

ISLAMABAD: A Senate panel on Tuesday took notice of the sale of substandard and expensive food items at service areas along the Islamabad-Peshawar motorway apart from the poor state of washrooms at these pit stops.

This was discussed during a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Communications with Senator Hidayatullah in the chair. He took strong exception to the state of hygiene in the washrooms of the Rashakai service area on Peshawar-Islamabad Motorway (M-1).

National Highway Authority (NHA) Chairman Jawad Rafique Malik, responding to the question, said that the Rashakai service area had only 12 bathrooms.

Located midway between Islamabad and Peshawar, a rush of people is observed in its washrooms, particularly at prayer times, he added. People need to relieve themselves during road trips, however, due to a shortage of bathrooms, they had to stand in ques.

The contract for maintenance of washroom in Rashakai service area will expire on June 30, he said adding that construction of additional washrooms and other improvements will be included in any new contract.

The NHA chairman said that the authority will build two more service areas along the highway, including one near the Kabul River to reduce the pressure of commuters on the Rashakai stop.

Senator Behramand Tangi pointed out that contractors charge as much as Rs60,000 for contracts from poor people who clean windshields of vehicles parked in the service areas, terming the practice as totally unjust. He demanded to launch an inquiry into the matter.

Substandard, expensive food

The committee also took notice of the sale of substandard and expensive food items in service areas of the motorways. The NHA chairman officials informed the committee that the authority had imposed fines on the violators on public complaints, however, it was the responsibility of jurisdiction deputy commissioners (DCs) to ensure that official rate lists were implemented.

Senator Tangi said eateries and shops were selling goods worth Rs200 for Rs900 at these service areas. Calling this overcharging from travellers inhuman, he demanded an inquiry into the issue.

M-Tag

The committee was told that commercial motorists’ response to the M-tag facility was not satisfactory as they did not recharge it and stand in wrong queues that caused a rush on toll plazas.

The online toll-tax payment mobile application was devised to save the time of both the motorists and the collection staff. The committee chairman suggested incentivising M-Tag holders to attract motorists towards the facility.

The panel also called for the early completion of the service areas on the Sukkur-Multan Motorway (M-5). The NHA chairman said that they have awarded contracts for six service areas and three filling stations on the M-5 for the convenience of travellers.

Construction will take two months to complete and then it will become operational for commuters, he said.

Regularisation of employees

The committee discussed matters about implementation on the regularisation of 58 contractual employees in NHA as recommended in a standing committee meeting on October 2012.

The committee was apprised by NHA officials that as many as 2,060 contractual employees were regularised by former federal minister Khursheed Shah and another committee.

They added that when the matter was brought before the executive board, it decided that the consultant and contractual employees could not be hired permanently.

At this, Senator Mir Yousaf Badini expressed that those 58 employees were working in NHA’s head office and being over-aged, they could not be sacked or transferred anywhere else.

The committee was elucidated on the implementation of recommendations given in the meeting held on October 17, 2019. The committee hailed NHA’s efforts on removing snow from roads during recent rain and snow spell in Balochistan and providing relief to the motorists.

Agendas dropped

The Senate panel got disgruntled on delay in the provision of working papers by the institutions to the committee as they could not discuss two agendas.

Senator Hidayatullah said that National Highways Safety Amendment Bill 2019 was very significant and it would be reviewed in the presence of minister for communication and ministry’s secretary.

Senator Tangi asserted that his bill was related to the future of the children of the country but it could not be discussed due to the absence of the communications secretary. He angrily remarked that the secretary falls sick whenever he is summoned to the Senate Committee on Communications meeting.

The committee issued directives for the timely provision of working papers or else warned of exercising its powers.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 22^nd, 2020.