Import of IT system for new assembly building delayed

The IT equipment for the new building of Punjab Assembly could not reach Pakistan because of the severity of coronavirus situation in the United Kingdom, making it impossible to hold the first session on the premises as planned.

Speaker Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi had given a deadline of December 25 to convene a session in the new building. The construction work of the building had almost been completed as per the deadline.

At present, carpets are being laid and desks are being placed in the main hall of the assembly, while chairs are being installed in the galleries. The hall will have 422 seats for assembly members, while the galleries have the capacity of 800 guests. Calligraphy in the assembly hall has also been completed.

However, the IT equipment and sound system did not reach Pakistan from the UK due to coronavirus. The date of the first session in the new building of the Punjab Assembly will be set after the departure of equipment from the UK. Most of the computer equipment will come from a leading company in the UK. The equipment includes sound systems, mic systems, mobile phone signal jammer systems, video streaming equipment, interpretation systems and electronic voting systems.

They could not be prepared in time due to the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic and Christmas holidays in the UK. Cabling work for installation of IT equipment in the new building has also been completed. Currently, training workshops for the Punjab Assembly staff for operating the new IT system are underway.

According to assembly officials, the IT equipment will be installed in the new building as soon as it reaches Pakistan. Preparations have been completed for the purpose. A dust-free environment is required for the installation of the equipment. Cleaning work has also been started in the building for the purpose. In the new building, eight lifts have become operational, while trial of six escalators is also underway. Work on the building continues in two shifts and it has not stopped even during rain.

About 40 workers, including an SDO of the communications and works department, were also infected by coronavirus during the construction. The new building will have a double source power connection and WAPDA will provide four and a half megawatts of electricity while generators of the same capacity will be installed. Three transformers of 2,000kVA have also been installed. A separate building has been constructed for electricity, water, gas and other utilities.

A 50,000 gallon water tank has been constructed on the roof of the supply service building. The new building will have central air conditioning. TV channels will be given two 50-point links in front of PIA building and MPA Hostel to facilitate live coverage. SE Ismatullah Dahlon, who is the project in-charge, said 99 per cent civil work had been completed in the new assembly building.

"We are just going through the finishing process now. IT equipment has been delayed from the UK due to coronavirus. The equipment will be installed as soon as it arrives, which will make the stateof-the-art assembly fully functional." Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi laid the foundation stone of the project as the chief minister in 2005.