Business
NHA under fire over Rs146b road deal | The Express Tribune
ISLAMABAD:
The Senate Standing Committee on Economic Affairs on Monday raised strong concerns over the National Highway Authority’s (NHA) failure to present complete records regarding the award of a contract for the N-55 under Tranche-III of the Central Asian Regional Economic Corridor (CAREC).
The contract was awarded to a consortium led by Chinese firm M/s Ningxia Communications Construction, with local partners M/s Rustam Associates and M/s Dynamic Constructors. The deal is valued at Rs146 billion, with a margin of Rs13.2 billion.
The committee, chaired by Senator Saifullah Abbro, criticised NHA officials for withholding key documents despite repeated requests. NHA Chairman Sheheryar Sultan informed the committee that nine documents had been requested, of which five had already been submitted, while the remaining four were being collected from other departments.
He also disclosed to the committee that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had formed an inquiry committee headed by retired federal secretary Muhammad Mushtaq Ahmed to review the procurement process. The panel also includes the commerce secretary, a former NHA member, a retired Punjab Communications & Works officer, and the member infrastructure of the Planning Commission.
He said that to ensure transparency, three NHA members and five officers had been suspended on the prime minister’s orders. Sultan urged the Senate body to wait for the inquiry’s findings, but the request was rejected by the committee chair.
Senator Abbro reiterated his concerns, claiming the contract went to a “non-performing firm” earlier disqualified from the MultanLodhran project. “We are not bound by the prime minister’s inquiry committee. Even if that committee clears the award, we will continue with our proceedings,” he stated.
The NHA chairman replied that disqualification from one project does not automatically prevent participation in another unless upheld by a legal forum. Officials added that while the Chinese firm had initially been disqualified, the decision was later overturned by an arbitrator appointed by the Islamabad High Court.
On another matter, Sultan briefed the committee on flood damages. He said the entire NHA road network remained open except for a two-kilometre stretch on the GilgitShandur road. After clearing highways, the NHA had also begun restoring blocked provincial roads on the prime minister’s directives.
Separately, consortium spokesperson Imdad Ullah defended the contract while briefing media. He insisted it was won through a transparent, competitive bidding process. He claimed companies owned by two lawmakers had lost in the bidding and accused the Senate committee of “interfering in an open and transparent procurement process” to obstruct a multi-billion-rupee project funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
The NHA chairman stated that disqualification from one project does not automatically prevent participation in another unless upheld by a legal forum
The government on Thursday kept petrol and high-speed diesel (HSD) prices unchanged at Rs253.17 per litre and Rs257.08 per litre respectively, for the coming fortnight, starting from January 16.
This decision was notified in a press release issued by the Petroleum Division.
Earlier, it was expected that the prices of all petroleum products would go down by up to Rs4.50 per litre (over 1pc each) today in view of variation in the international market.
Petrol is primarily used in private transport, small vehicles, rickshaws, and two-wheelers, and directly impacts the budgets of the middle and lower-middle classes.
Meanwhile, most of the transport sector runs on HSD. Its price is considered inflationary, as it is mostly used in heavy transport vehicles, trains, and agricultural engines such as trucks, buses, tractors, tube wells, and threshers, and particularly adds to the prices of vegetables and other eatables.
The government is currently charging about Rs100 per litre on petrol and about Rs97 per litre on diesel.
One of Britain’s most prolific rail fare dodgers could face jail after admitting dozens of travel offences.
Charles Brohiri, 29, pleaded guilty to travelling without buying a ticket a total of 112 times over a two-year period, Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard.
He could be ordered to pay more than £18,000 in unpaid fares and legal costs, the court was told.
He will be sentenced next month.
District Judge Nina Tempia warned Brohiri “could face a custodial sentence because of the number of offences he has committed”.
He pleaded guilty to 76 offences on Thursday.
It came after he was convicted in his absence of 36 charges at a previous hearing.
During Thursday’s hearing, Judge Tempia dismissed a bid by Brohiri’s lawyers to have the 36 convictions overturned.
They had argued the prosecutions were unlawful because they had not been brought by a qualified legal professional.
But Judge Tempia rejected the argument, saying there had been “no abuse of this court’s process”.
JSW Jetour T2 Launch: JSW Motors Limited, the passenger vehicle arm of the JSW Group, is reportedly preparing to enter the Indian car market this year. It has partnered with Jetour, a China-based automotive brand owned by Chery Automobile, and the Jetour T2 SUV could be the company’s first product, according to the reports.
Media reports suggest that the launch will happen independently and not under the JSW MG Motor India joint venture. The SUV will wear a JSW badge and name, instead of the Jetour branding. The upcoming SUV will be assembled at JSW’s upcoming greenfield manufacturing facility in Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, Maharashtra.
According to the reports, the company plans to have the vehicle on sale by the third quarter of this year. With this move, JSW aims to establish itself as a standalone carmaker in India.
Expected Powertrain
The SUV is likely to arrive with a 1.5-litre plug-in hybrid setup. Internationally, this hybrid powertrain is offered with both front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive options. It is still unclear which version will be introduced in India.
Design
In terms of design, the T2 is a large and rugged-looking SUV. It has a boxy and upright stance, similar to vehicles like the Land Rover Defender. Despite its tough appearance, it uses a monocoque chassis instead of a ladder-frame construction.
Size
The SUV measures around 4.7 metres in length and nearly 2 metres in width. This makes it larger than the Tata Safari, even though it is a five-seater. A longer 7-seat version is also sold in some markets.
Price
Pricing details for India are yet to be announced. For reference, the front-wheel-drive five-seat T2 i-DM is priced at AED 1,44,000 (around Rs 35 lakh) in the UAE.
Jetour
Jetour is a brand owned by Chinese automaker Chery. Launched in 2018, it focuses mainly on SUVs and is present in markets across China, the Middle East, Africa, Southeast Asia and Latin America.
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