ISLAMABAD - Following the recommendations of a Senate Standing Committee on Communications, the National Highway Authority on Thursday announced to exempt small vehicles from toll collection at Hyderabad bypass toll plaza from November onward.

It was stated in a press release issued by the Senate Secretariat on Thursday after a meeting of the parliamentary body, which was held at Parliament House in the chair of Senator Hidayat Ullah.

However, when contacted by the Nation, General Manager Revenue NHA Salah-ud-Din told that nothing has been finalised yet as the matter needs further deliberations. “We cannot take the matter lightly and we will have to classify the vehicles in the category of small vehicles”, he explained.  

The said matter of public importance regarding collation of dual tax at Karachi-Hyderabad Motorway was pointed out by the Pakistan Peoples’ Party Parliamentarian (PPPP)’s lawmaker Senator Moula Bakhsh Chandio, who complained that the authorities are charging toll tax at two different locations within the distance of two kilometres.    

However, the officers concerned explained that the toll tax from Karachi to Jamshoro is being collected by Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) because project is on build, operate and transfer (BoT) bases while the toll tax at Hyderabad bypass toll plaza is being collected by NHA through a private contractor and it has nothing to do with the motorway’s toll.  

The committee was informed further that the commuters are paying a toll amount of Rs.230 at Jamshoro Interchange according to a calculation made on the bases of distance covered while Rs.30 rupees are being charged at Hyderabad Toll plaza as fixed amount.  

However, the committee member stressed to give relief to the general commuters and inquired about the financial impact of said toll tax exemption. The authorities informed that if they exempt the toll tax at Hyderabad in totality then it would cost around nine million annually whereas if they exempt the small vehicles only then the NHA would missed up to fifteen percent of the present revenue collection from this toll plaza.

After deliberating upon the matter in detail, the NHA has assured the committee that it would exempt small vehicles from paying dual tax at Hyderabad Toll Plaza while the heavy traffic will have to pay the amount as per the ongoing routine.

The lawmakers also pointed out the rude behaviour of the staff deputed at toll plazas across the country especially with parliamentarians. The Secretary Communication Shoib Ahmed Siddqui and Chairman NHA Jawad Rafique Malik assured the committee members that the derogatory behaviour would not be tolerated.    

The meeting was attended senators Talha Mehmood, Maula Bakhsh Chandio, Fida Khan, Dr Ashok Kumar, Mir Yousaf Badini, Agha Shahzaib Durrani, Usman Khan Kakar and Liaqat Khan Taraki as well as the officers from Ministry of Communication and its attached department.