ISLAMABAD, Aug 1 (APP): National Highway Council – supreme body of National Highway Authority (NHA) – directed it to extend all possible assistance to the provinces and their departments engaged in relief and rescue operations during recent rains and floods throughout the country.
Federal Minister for Communications and Postal Services Asad Mahmood presided over the meeting of National Highway Council held here on Monday, said a press release issued here.
The minister said, “Human life is the most precious and 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.” The rescue and relief operations would continue till normalcy was restored, he added.
The meeting was aimed to seek ways and means to further accelerate the relief and rescue operations being undertaken in affected parts of the country by the ministry and NHA. All the resources of the National Highway Authority should be utilized to facilitate the people in distress, it was decided.
Besides, on the recommendations of the NHA Executive Board, the National Highway Council reviewed financial and administrative affairs of the authority and took decisions regarding emergency situation caused by 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.
It is worth mentioning that the engineers of the NHA stopped flood waters by placing embankment in Tank region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa which saved thousands of people. The minister commended the construction experts and engineers of the authority for taking timely action.
The meeting accorded approval for the regularization of contact employees as per the orders of the Supreme Court. Their regularization will not affect the privilege and promotion of the regular employees of the authority.
Asad, a strong believer in facilitating human beings, said that an employee should not be seen as one individual, rather as a family because that one individual could be sole breadwinner of the family.
Federal Secretary Communications and Chairman National Highway Authority Capt (R) Muhammad Khurram Agha, and senior officers of the ministry and the NHA attended the meeting.
