Federal Minister for Communications and Postal Services Mr. Asad Mahmood presided over the meeting of National Highway Council-Supreme body of National Highway Authority, held at Ministry of Communications today to seek ways and means to further accelerate the relief and rescue operations being undertaken in affected parts of the country by National Highway Authority and Ministry of Communications. The council directed the National Highway Authority to extend all possible assistance to the provinces and provincial departments engaged in relief and rescue operations during recent rains and floods situations throughout the country. In any emergent situation all the resources of the National Highway Authority require to be utilized to facilitate the people in distress. Besides, on recommendations of the NHA Executive Board the National Highway Council reviewed financial and administrative affairs of the Authority and took decisions with regard to prevailing conditions of rains and subsequent floods. The National Highway Council accorded approval for necessary amendments in rules and regulation for extending support by NHA to the provincial departments, working for relief of flood affectees.
Federal Secretary Communications/Chairman National Highway Authority Capt (R) Muhammad Khurram Agha, senior officers of Ministry of Communications and National Highway Authority participated.
Addressing the meeting, Federal Minister of Communications and Postal Services Mr. Asad Mahmood said, human life is the most precious and that it will be a source of pride for us, if the construction machinery, vehicles and other available resources of the NHA are utilised to facilitate the floods affected people on humanitarian grounds. He said rescue and relief operations will continue till the situation is normalized.
It is worth mentioning, that the engineers of the NHA stopped flood waters by placing embankment in Tank Region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa which led to saving thousands of people and hundreds of establishments. Federal Minister for Communications and Postal Services Mr. Asad Mahmood expressed deep sense to gratitude to the construction experts and engineers of the Authority for timely action in emergency.
Practical advancement was also made in the meeting with regard to regularization of NHA’s Contract Employees in light of orders of Supreme Court of Pakistan and High Court as well. The meeting accorded approval of the regularization of employees who come up to the criteria. This long standing complicated issue of NHA’s Contract Employees has been solved now. Regularization of such employees will not affect the privilege and promotion of the regular employees of the Authority. The NHC also approved to create special cadre for the employees to be regularized. Mr. Asad Mehmood was of the view to follow the philosophy of facilitating human beings. He said, every official is not living alone, but through employment he is earning bread for his whole family. We desire to continue the employment of the officials, he added.
