Abdul Aleem Khan, the federal minister of communications, announced that cars equipped with M-Tags will receive exclusive discounts. In the Senate Standing Committee on Communications meeting chaired by Pervez Rasheed, he made this statement.
Encouragement of Using M-Tags
During the discussion, he stated, “This initiative will also facilitate the use of M-Tag.” M-Tag is an electronic toll collecting system that operates without stopping at a toll plaza, enhancing and streamlining transportation movement and removing congestion.
Balochistan Road Network Requires Improvement
Khan drew attention to the fact that Balochistan contains 42% of the nation’s road network yet does not have a single toll plaza. This presents challenges for the implementation of plans for road maintenance and improvement. Gilgit-Baltistan has 900 kilometers of highways and a single toll booth.
Enhancement of Toll Tax Revenue
He added that more than Rs. 100 billion is probably going to be recovered in toll revenue, which highways and motorways collected in the previous year for a total of Rs. 60 billion. The government would be able to improve the nation’s road infrastructure with all of this extra toll tax money.
Structure of the Vehicle Fleet
It was said that 70 percent of the 38 million cars that are registered on the nation’s roads are motorcycles. Seventy percent of the approximately 2.7 million large automobiles were older. By providing first-hand information regarding the make-up of the nation’s car fleet, these statistics will aid in the development of future transportation infrastructure and policy.
Increasing Balochistani Road Safety
In response to a calling attention notice, Khan stated that the National Highway Authority planned to station 2,500 motorway police personnel on several Balochistani highways to enforce speed limits in order to protect commuters’ lives and safety. For the purpose of guaranteeing traffic safety and reducing accidents in the province, this proposal would, at best, be absurd.
Conclusion
The government is working to solve the infrastructure issues in Balochistan and Gilgit-Baltistan, encourage the use of electronic toll collection systems, and enhance road safety throughout the nation. These efforts are reflected in the Federal Minister for Communications’ overall remarks made during the Senate Standing Committee on Communications.
