NHA report about roads unsatisfactory: SC

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) of Pakistan on Wednesday said that the highways across the country are not safe for the commuters and summoned Chairman NHA in person on the next hearing.

A two-member bench of the SC, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Gulzar Ahmed heard the case about the Quetta-Karachi highway, which has reportedly in a very bad shape and is causing massive trouble for the commuters.

The court has declared the National Highway Authority (NHA) report about road as unsatisfactory and has directed it to submit fresh report on the condition of highways across the country.

The court further probed as to why policemen are not deployed on the Karachi-Quetta highway and also expressed displeasure over the alleged humiliation of commuters by FC Balochistan.

Chief Justice Gulzar remarked that the construction of Chitral-Gilgit road has been completed on paper only whereas in reality there are only rocks and no vehicle can move there.

He said that the NHA had stopped maintaining all the highways except Lahore-Islamabad Motorway.

He also asked why Quetta-Karachi highway was not being rebuilt as per the standards used for building the motorway.

“A road does not get a bridge or repair work until 10 people or more die in accidents,” the CJ lamented.

Justice Gulzar said that in other countries roadside reflectors were kept in such a mint condition that they flashed brightly to guide the people driving at night, but in Pakistan old reflectors were painted with red or yellow lime wash to look new which was wrong.

He further remarked that the NHA has failed to perform its job of road construction and renovation.

Later the court adjourned hearing of the case until the first week of December.