Lowari Tunnel To Be Completed By March 2017

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 29th August, 2016) : National Highway Authority (NHA) has redoubled its efforts to complete Lowari tunnel and open it for public by March 2017. Briefing National Assembly Standing Committee on Communications on Monday, Chairman National Highway Authority (NHA) Shahid Ashraf Tarar said following prime minister's directives to complete the project at the earliest, no incremental approach was being adopted, thus the tunnel would be available for traffic by March next year.

He informed the committee which met with Sufyan Yusuf in the chair that 60 percent work on the Lowari Tunnel was completed, adding unlike the past, a strategy would be devised to keep it open during the winter season as well to facilitate the local people.

He said the prime minister was taking keen interest in socio-economic development of Chitral and he personally visited the area and announced development projects there. He said work on the those projects was progressing accordingly which would greatly facilitate and ensure socio-economic development in the area.

The Committee also directed the National Highways Authority to resolve the issue of damaged roads during the construction of M-4 in the constituency of Malik Abdul Ghafar Dogar, MNA, amicably. A sub-committee was constituted under the convenership of Chaudhry Khalid Javaid Warraich, MNA regarding the issue of damaged roads in the province of Punjab.

The committee was also of the view that N45 which consists of three sections including Chakdara-Timergara Section, Akhagram-Dir Section and Kalkatak-Chitral section may be declared as alternative to China Pakistan Economic Corridor(CPEC) route.

It said a NHA should work out a feasibility report of the route from Chackdara onwards section to assess facts, in that regard. MNAs Chaudhry Khalid Javaid Warraich, Dr Darshan, Najaf Abbas Sial, Nazir Ahmed Bughio, Salim Rehman, Ramesh Lal, Engr.

Hamid-ul-Haq Khalil, Muhammad Muzammil Qureshi, Sahibzada Tariq Ullah, Naseema Hafeez Panezai, Engr. Usman Khan Tarakai, Shahjehan Muneer Mangrio and Malik Abdul Ghafar Dogar, mover of the Question attended the meeting.