ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Sheikh Aftab Ahmed Thursday said work was being carried out on 1660 kilometer highway projects under China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) across the country.
During question hour in the Upper House, the minister said seven of these projects will be completed by 2018, one each in 2019 and 2020.
Sheikh Aftab said presently 88 toll plazas are operational on National Highways and Motorways.
He said that 57 of these are manually operated while 31 are electronic toll plazas.
To another question, the minister said feasibility study and design of the Islamabad Muzaffarabad dual carriageway extension from Lower Topa to Kohala is being completed.
Sheikh Aftab said however, due to financial constraints, the project is planned to be included in the next fiscal year for extension.
He said in order to operationalize Transit Transport Framework Agreement (TTFA), two corridors have been established included Islamabad-Tehran-Istanbul (ITI) Rail Corridor and Islamabad-Tehran-Istanbul (ITI) Road Corridor.
The minister said rail corridor was operationalized however, it has been halted due to few impediments which are being removed by the Railway Authorities of en-route countries.
He said similarly, efforts are being made to operationalize the ITI Road Corridor. So far, four meetings of Pakistan, Iran and Turkey have been held to finalize the operational modalities.
