Police stations, prison get Rs 600m

Another Rs40 million has been set aside houses for SPs

ISLAMABAD: The government has allocated Rs400 million for the establishment of model police stations in the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) under Public Sector Development Programme in the new budget. The total cost of the project is estimated at Rs996.2 million.

The government has also allocated Rs200 million for a ‘model prison’ in Sector H-16. The project, estimated to cost Rs4,530.46 million, was approved by the Central Development Working Party (CDWP) in 2015. The government had also approved Rs10 million for the project in the previous budget.

Currently, prisoners from ICT are housed at Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail, and other prisons in Punjab.

The government has allocated Rs13 million to upgrade IT infrastructure of Islamabad Police. The project was approved in 2012 and is estimated to cost Rs59.6 million. Out of the total Rs46.6 million has already been spent.

Similarly, Rs400 million have been set aside for the establishment of National Forensic Science Agency and a lab in Islamabad. The project was approved in March 2015 at an estimated cost of Rs1,461.3 million. Around Rs654.6 million was spent on the project during 2014-15 and 15-16.

Without a fully functional forensic lab, the capital police often rely on Punjab government’s forensic science agency for DNA and other tests, a process which takes weeks and delays prosecution.

SP houses

The government has approved Rs40 million to construct 15 houses for superintendents of police (SPs) at Police Lines Headquarters in Sector H-11.

Another Rs700 million have been set aside for construction of accommodation, training, administrative blocks and barracks for Rapid Response Force of Islamabad Police. This project, approved by CDWP in August 2015, is estimated to cost Rs1627.2 million.

While Rs10 million have been allocated for the establishment of an FM radio station of the Islamabad Traffic Police. The project is estimated to cost Rs19.9 million.

Land record management

Around Rs40 million have been approved for land revenue records management in rural area of Islamabad. This project, approved in 2007, is estimated to cost Rs88.6 million, of which Rs27.8 million have already been spent.

The government has also approved Rs737 million for raising two special security wings of Punjab Rangers in Rawalpindi and Islamabad. The project is estimated to cost Rs1,137 million out of which Rs400 million would be spent on the project during the current fiscal year (2015-16).

Published in The Express Tribune, June 4^th, 2016.