NHA asks M/s Multinet to pay Rs259m.

Byline: MUHAMMAD ASAD CHAUDHRY

ISLAMABAD -- The National Highway Authority (NHA) following a recent judgment passed by the Sindh High Court (SHC) has asked M/s Multinet Pakistan Private Limited to pay Rs.259.336 million, which are outstanding against it for the use of NHA's Right of Way (ROW).

M/s Multinet is a telecom company providing connectivity solutions through its 12,000 km long self-healing and scalable optical fiber network covering over 120 cities of Pakistan while the company is using the national highways' ROW across the country to lay down its network.

The NHA is charging Rs.30 per meter annually as a rent for the use of its land from such firms on certain terms and conditions but the said company was in conflict with the authority on the payment of said charges and a litigation was pending at different courts of Sindh province from last couple of year.

Now, the Sindh High Court in its order passed few days ago in the instant case had barred the NHA from taking any coercive action against M/s Multinet Pakistan Private Limited but at the same time the honourable SHC directed the private firm to deposit fifty percent of its total outstanding dues as claimed by NHA immediately while it was further directed that the M/s Multinet would submit a bank guarantee for the rest of fifty percent till the final outcome in this case.

The court ordered that...