Staff Reporter
Federal Minister for Communications and Postal Service Murad Saeed Monday said that launch of e-billing system in the National Highway Authority (NHA) would ensure transparency, eradicate corruption, save cost and time, increase efficiency and effectiveness and improve managerial control. Addressing a ceremony after formally inaugurating the e-billing system at NHA Headquarters, Murad Saeed said that e-billing system was part of the Prime Minister vision for ending corruption, improve transparency and provide good governance.
He said by launch of NHA mobile application and now e-billing system, the NHA has opened all its record for the general public and media.
He said that NHA mobile app was launched to provide necessary information particularly the projects implementation, execution and progress in their desired region. He said that concrete proofs of kichbacks in NHA projects sent to National Accountability Bureau and commission constituted to investigate 10 years loans were available and nobly could challenge them.
He said that the NAH generated Rs 43.32 billion revenue during eleven months of fiscal year 2018-19 compared to Rs 28.64 billion in 2017-18, registering an increase of 51.25 per cent during this period. Murad Saeed said that the ministry has recovered Rs 7 billion and deposited the amount to the national kitty.
The report said that billions of rupees were also recovered under the anti-encroachment campaign of the government; however, the recovery ratio during the last regime was nil. He said that a new system containing facilities such as e-billing, e-tendering, and mobile app has been introduced in the ministry to enhance transparency.
During the previous government, the minister said that not only the minister and parliamentary secretary used vehicles of the NHA and received hefty TA and DA allowances but he did not spend a single penny of the national exchequer to cover the fuel or transport expenses and has not even claimed the TA&DA allowances.
He said that the NHA launched an anti-encroachment drive in 2018-19 and 3,347 encroachments were removed and resultantly recaptured 448.25 kanals of land. He said that under Clean and Green Pakistan Programme, the NHA has planted 757,926 trees along motorways and national highways during 2018-19, and under this drive from August 1 to 14 this year, NHA would launch a new plantation drive.
