NA body wants proper security for foreign engineers

Lowari Tunnel project: NA body wants proper security for foreign engineersلواری ٹنل منصوبے پر کام کرنے والے غیر ملکی انجینئروں کے لئے مناسب سیکیورٹی فراہم کی جائے، قومی اسمبلی کی قائمہ کمیٹی میں تجویز پیش کی گئی

* Recommends privatisation of toll plazas of National Highways and Motorways

Daily Times - May 5, 2009 - Staff Report

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly Standing Committee on Communications on Monday recommended proper security by the government for foreign engineers and consultants working on Lowari Tunnel project in Chitral.

It also called for transparent privatisation of toll plazas of National Highways and Motorways for revenue generation. The recommendations were made during a meeting chaired by Saeed Ahmed Zafar at parliament house. Minister for Communications Arbab Alamgir Khan briefed the committee on the Lowari Tunnel project.

He said the project had high security risks and therefore, the ministry had sought deployment of Frontier Constabulary or other security forces in Chitral to protect it against terrorism. The committee said the government should provide proper security to foreign engineers and consultants involved in the project due to growing concerns about their security in the area. Officials told the meeting that efforts were on for linking Gwadar with the country’s other parts by road.

The committee asked the government to complete the project, a gateway to the Central Asian states, on priority basis. It also expressed concern about delay in the Hassanabdal-Mansehra Expressway project and requested that the federal government release funds for land acquisition. MNAs Allauddin, Nafisa Shah, Abdul Majeed Khan Khanankhel, Dr Darshan, Murtaza Javed Abbasi, Kamran Khan and Sheikh Salahuddin attended the meeting.