NHA faces heat over road conditions

ISLAMABAD:

The National Assembly Standing Committee on Communications was informed on Wednesday that overloaded goods trucks were responsible for the deteriorating condition of National Highway 5 (N-5/GT Road), prompting the National Highway Authority (NHA) to engage vehicle owners on axle-load issues.

The NHA chairman informed the committee, chaired by Aijaz Hussain Jakhrani, that the authority had asked vehicle owners to discuss the issue of axle loads. He said trucks carrying up to 50 tonnes were entering motorways, although vehicles weighing up to 27.5 tonnes were permitted to travel on them.

Committee member Rafiullah questioned "substandard work" on the N-5, saying the issue had repeatedly been raised before the committee for the past eight months. The communications secretary told the committee that the design work had been completed and it would be completed soon.

The committee also took notice of alleged negligence in repair work on Shikarpur Road after Shehryar Mehr complained about its poor condition.