Uplift project planned for Faisal Mosque

Project will restore grandeur of the iconic mosque

ISLAMABAD:

The apex civic authority of the federal capital has prepared a project worth Rs110 million for the uplift the iconic Faisal Mosque.

Under the project, the Capital Development Authority (CDA) plans to repair and restore the mosque’s lawn, minarets, ablution space, bathrooms, and lights apart from other repair and uplift measures.

As per details available with The Express Tribune, as much as Rs10.5 million is the estimated cost of repairing and maintaining of wall paintings and tapestries which are hung inside the mosque.

The same amount has been estimated as the cost of maintaining the gardens of the mosque.

Another Rs3 million will be required for cleaning the benches and chairs installed in and around the mosque.

The CDA also estimates that around a million rupees will be spent on cleaning the halls of the mosque and shampooing the carpets installed in the main prayer hall.

Some Rs5 million will be needed for upgrading the footpath area of the lawn while Rs2 million each will be required for changing skylights and the repair and replacement of signboards in the mosque area, the stairs for the ablution area and the metal grills.

The authority has evaluated that funds equivalent to Rs5 million will be required for changing lights and two elevators in the minarets while Rs30 million will be needed for levelling and polishing its expansive marble floor. Another Rs27 million are estimated to be spent on a whitewash, paint, and installation of weather sheets in the mosque.

Last month, the Senate Standing Committee on Climate Change had expressed reservations over the state of the mosque and had directed the CDA to cancel a contract with a private enterprise worth Rs13.8 million for the cleanliness of the iconic mosque which receives thousands of visitors daily. Subsequently, the CDA launched a special cleanliness drive for the mosque.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, October 19^th, 2020.