PHOTO: FILE
It has been learned through the audit report that the capital city administration has not taken approval of the jail’s layout plan from Capital Development Authority (CDA). This may add up to over Rs40 million in fines, while the project’s total cost is already Rs3.9 billion.
As per the audit report, the contract for the project was awarded to different contractors by Pakistan Public Works Department (PPWD). The auditors raised the objection that the construction of the project’s subheads including admin block, boundary wall and male block has been started without the approval of a layout plan by CDA, which was a pre-requisite under Islamabad Residential Sector Zoning Regulation 2005. Although, the approval of the building plan from CDA was included in the scope of consultant services of the project.
Rs700m more proposed for Rs3b model prison
The move has posed serious threats of heavy fines by the civic authority and can sum up to as much as Rs43.4 million which will ultimately increase the project’s cost.
In this regard, The Express Tribune contacted PPWD Director General (DG) Shahid Farzand who maintained that CDA had already done demarcation of the land for the project. He said that the project belonged to the interior ministry, while their only job was to get construction done.
The official expressed that layout plan was not a problem and hoped that the issue would be resolved soon.
CDA in 2013 leased 435,600 square yards of land for the new prison 33 years ago, charging Rs720 million from the district government. The model prison will have facilities of healthcare, library, residential quarters, educational and religious institutes. It would be constructed on an area of 90 acres in Sector H-16.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 22nd, 2019.
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