Revenue of NHA increased by Rs 103 billion: Senate informed

ISLAMABAD (APP): Minister for Communications and Postal Services Murad Saeed on Tuesday informed Senate that the revenue of the National Highway Authority (NHA) has increased by Rs 103 billion during the last three years of the government. On point of order, he said, the revenue increased due to the elimination of corruption and digitalization of different processes. He said that the present government has started construction work on mega-dams which were unfortunately ignored by the previous governments.
While criticizing the opposition parties, he said that they had failed to work for the welfare of poor people in past but the PTI government has initiated various projects including the Ehsaas programme, Sehat Insaf Card, Housing scheme, Kamyab Jawan programme. The minister said that record economic growth has put the country on the road to prosperity and Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth jumped to 5.37 despite COVID-19 and global inflation.
The minister said that the government was constructing a total of 7,889 kilometers of roads under the National Highway Authority (NHA). He said that 1667 km roads were under construction whereas 1819 km at the procurement stage. While 2368 km roads were at the planning and design stage.
He said that the previous government only planned 1303 km roads during its first three and a half years tenure. Saeed said that the PTI government had started three times more road projects than the previous two governments.
He said that 4-lane Motorways have been constructed at a comparatively reduced cost than those constructed by the previous PML-N government. He said that during the construction of Motorways, Nawaz Sharif had bought properties in London. The minister said that there was a total of 117 toll plazas with NHA and taxes had not been increased, adding that the commission and corruption culture was eliminated from the Motorways.
He said a rest area that was given on lease for 1.7 million by governments of PPP and PML-N, had been given on contract for Rs 6.5 million annually. He said that the whole world acknowledged Prime Minister Imran Khan’s successful strategy to cope with COVID-19 and strengthen the economy. He said that PTI would complete its five years tenure and strengthen the economy of the country. He said that opposition parties combined hands to protect their interest, adding that the person who had stolen national exchequer was sitting in London, while poor thieves on the charges of trivial crimes were in jails.