Agreement on renovation of Islamabad-Lahore Motorway inked

[Salman]

HAKWAL: An agreement for renovation of Islamabad-Lahore Motorway (M-2) has been inked between National Highway Authority and Frontier Works Organisation. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has inaugurated the project as well.

A grand opening ceremony was organised in this connection by NHA at Balkasar on Monday in which Federal Minister for Information Pervaiz Rashid, Communications Parliamentary Secretary Mian Alamdad Lalaika, MNAs and MPAs from Chakwal were also present, a press release from NHA stated.

Communications Secretary and Chairman NHA Shahid Ashraf Tarar and FWO Director General Major Muhammad Afzal signed the agreement in presence of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Under the agreement, the Lahore-Islamabad Motorway’s renovation will be completed in three years and the FWO will pay NHA Rs 9.5 billion at the outset and later on Rs 206 billion. The FWO will be financially facilitated by local banks for this project.

The motorway will be beautified and modern service areas and restaurants will be set up along either side, where the travellers will enjoy world class facilities such as FM radio, internet etc; CCTV system will also be installed along the motorway.

Parliamentary Secretary Mian Alamdad Lalaika and NHA Chairman Shahid Ashraf Tarar while talking to media said that the prime minister had instructed the NHA to carry out maximum future NHA projects on BOT basis to help ease financial pressure on the national exchequer and the project is part of this endeavour. These BOT projects will be totally financed by private sector; however the NHA will get a portion of the profit.

FWO DG Major General Muhammad Afzal, on this occasion, said that the NHA and FWO were the two leading public organisations that had had a longstanding working relationship and the FWO had had a major role in nation building; its name signifies transparent and timely completion of projects and the project will also be completed before the stipulated time. Major Afzal further said that the completion of the project will transform Islamabad-Lahore Motorway into a world class motorway in terms of quality and landscape.