Austerity measures: Punjab CM drops MPA hostel plan

Proposed hostel extension comprising 102 apartments would have cost over Rs3 billion.

ISLAMABAD: After Chaudhry Nisar's letter to the Prime Minister opposing construction of the second phase of parliamentary lodges in Islamabad at a cost of Rs2.9 billion, the Punjab chief minister was left with no option but to cancel a similar project in the province costing approximately Rs3 billion, it was learnt on Saturday.

According to documents available with The Express Tribune, the proposal included construction of the second phase of an MPA hostel in Lahore, comprising 102 luxury apartments replete with deodar wood and marble fixtures. Planned at a provincial development working party (PDWP) meeting in 2005, the extension to the hostel was to be built near the assembly building.

The chief minister disallowed the construction of the apartments on the recommendation of the planning and development board. Opposing the extension to the hostel, the board focused on alternative means to accommodate Punjab MPAs, according to the documents.

The estimated cost of the project at this stage is Rs2.1 billion, but based on past experience with the Punjab Assembly Building, the actual cost, including the furnishings, would eventually top Rs3 billion, the document stated.

Each of the 102 proposed apartments would accommodate only one lawmaker, indicating an expense of Rs29million per MPA. On the other hand, 100 spacious houses, which can accommodate two to three hundred MPAs, can be purchased in the Defence Housing Authority at a cost of Rs1.5 billion, the document added.

The board said the project was against the spirit of the current austerity measures undertaken by the provincial government.

The board also said that presently, a large number of MPAs have their own houses in Lahore and do not require hostel accommodation. The few who do not have either are lodged in 4-star hotels close to the assembly building. The expense incurred on the hotel stay is minimal compared to capital outlay required for the proposed hostel building, the document adds.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 23^rd,  2011.