ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday said the government was focusing on development of neglected and remote areas of the country, especially Balochistan, to provide a level playing field to the people of far-flung areas and improve their living standards.

“Previously roads were not constructed for long-term planning or connectivity but to fill pockets,” the prime minister said while inaugurating a 293km long Hakla-Dera Ismail Khan motorway, which is an important part of the western route of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

He claimed that his government was constructing national highways at a comparatively lesser cost than those built by the previous government (of the PML-N) when, as he put it, more than Rs1,000 billion was siphoned off in land connectivity-related projects.

Referring to the road projects executed by the previous government of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, Mr Khan said: “How is it possible that despite inflation we are constructing roads at a lesser cost as compared to the expenses incurred on such projects in 2013.

“About Rs1,000bn had gone into the pockets of the corrupt, and it happened to a poor nation,” he added.

Hakla-D.I. Khan motorway has 11 interchanges, 36 bridges, 33 flyovers and 119 underpasses. It would reduce the distance from D.I. Khan to Islamabad seven hours to three hours. It would help in transforming D.I. Khan into a business hub in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, besides linking south Punjab and Balochistan. It would also enable supply of agricultural produce to different parts of the country.

Prime Minister Khan said previously the development of the country was confined to G.T. Road, Lahore and onwards to Karachi, which were also called the eastern route of the CPEC.

Commending efforts of the minister for communications, the PM said his ministry was among the top three performing ministries.

He said revenues of the National Highway Authority had doubled after steps were taken against corruption, including E-tendering, besides recovery of encroached land worth Rs5bn.

The prime minister said the motorway would connect less developed areas with other parts of the country. The lack of facilities forced the inhabitants of D.I. Khan and Mianwali to move to developed cities which also resulted in brain drain and flight of talent, he said.

Speaking on the occasion, Minister for Communications and Postal Services Murad Saeed said work on Hakla-D.I. Khan motorway had been completed with the deployment of NHA personnel.

He said the NHA’s revenues had increased by 125 per cent, witnessing a Rs102bn rise in the last three years.

Mr Murad said the NHA had completed work on 2,032 kilometres of roads and planned construction of further 7,889km roads.

He said his ministry had achieved the five-year targets within three years. He said the cost of construction of a dual-lane road per km now stood at around Rs111 million while its cost during the previous government was Rs118m whereas the cost of construction of a four-lane road per km was now Rs170m compared with Rs370m spent by the previous government.

He said all this was achieved despite a surge in global inflation and rise in the prices of materials.