QUETTA - Balochistan government has constructed some 2,647 kilometers blacktop roads in the province during its tenure aiming to provide best infrastructure facilities and easy connectivity to markets.
The provincial government has initiated the construction work on 550 new road projects. A sum of Rs 20 billion has been earmarked during financial year 2021-22 for completing these projects with the focus to provide best communication facility to the masses. The government has constructed Turbat to Pasni road at the cost of Rs 1,000 million to have access to main road, an official of Balochistan government told APP on Friday. The construction of road from Zhob to Manzakai at the cost of Rs 3,290 million, Murgah Faqirzai to Badini on Rs 1590 million and Zhob to Miralikhail worth Rs 2957 million, had also been completed to facilitate people living in areas adjacent to the Afghan border. This would definitely boost trade and economic activities in the area. Yet another project namely Sansila to Dera Bugti road has been completed at the cost of Rs 1,000 million. While blacktop road from Notal to Ghandhawa was completed with the cost of Rs 2,158 million and up gradation of Sohbatpur to Kashmore road was completed at cost of Rs 1,487 million, which would not only pave the way for socio-economic uplift of far long areas of Balochistan, but also have positive impacts on the economy of entire region, he added.
The provincial government was planning to construct 4,000 kilometer more roads to improve the communication system in the province, said official. The official said that the construction of highways would give the province’s agricultural and mineral production access to major markets. He said that better roads were vital to curtail road traffic accidents and save human lives. The dualization of 796 km long Chaman-Quetta-Karachi-Highwaywould start during the current year. He said due the efforts of Balochistan government, in the financial year 2021-22, the federal government has allocated Rs 81.582 billion in the first phase for the construction of Kuchlak to Khuzdar section of Quetta-Karachi highway.