PESHAWAR, Feb 20: NWFP Minister for Planning and Development Inayatullah has expressed dissatisfaction over the pace of work on the Nowshera-Peshawar highway and directed the National Highway Authority to speed up the work.

He was presiding over a meeting held to review progress of projects being carried out in the province by the NHA.

NHA authorities informed the meeting that 75 per cent work on the Takht Bhai-Shergar road and 18.2 per cent work on the Dargai-Chakdara road had been completed. Similarly, on the Timargara-Akhagram road, 16.68 per cent work had been completed and work on the Lowari Tunnel was in progress, they said.

The meeting was informed that the pace of work on the Nowshera-Peshawar highway was slow because of non-availability of bitumen.

The NHA authorities expressed the hope that an asphalt plant to be established by the end of March would help speed up the work on the project.

The meeting took a number of decisions to ensure smooth execution of the NHA projects.

It was decided that the provincial planning and development minister would hold monthly meetings of authorities concerned to review progress of the NHA projects.

The meeting ordered to constitute coordination committees comprising heads of departments concerned at the district level for effective execution of road projects.

It also directed the home secretary to convene a meeting of district nazims, district coordinating officers and district police officers of Malakand and Mardan to prepare a plan for diverting traffic to an alternative route to accelerate work on the Malakand Pass.

The meeting directed the DCOs to strictly implement the ban on raising structures within notified limits on both sides of bypass roads.

The meeting decided to contact the federal minister for petroleum and communication to ensure supply of bitumen for under-construction road projects in the province.

It took strong exception to the substandard work on the Dir-Wari road and the dilapidated condition of the Indus Highway.

The meeting asked the NHA to remove grievances of people and complete the projects on time.—PPI