Final nod: CDWP approves modified design for IHC building

The construction will focus on facilitating the general public.

ISLAMABAD: The Central Development Working Party (CDWP) on Wednesday approved the modified Project Concept-I (PC-I) Wednesday for the construction of the new Islamabad High Court building.

The Rs2.9 billion building will be constructed on a five acre plot on Constitution Avenue, adjacent to Radio Pakistan building.

On June 25, 2014, a proposed design for the building was rejected by the CDWP, citing that the design did not reflect Islamic architecture and that the proposed six-story building lacked adequate seating and other facilities for plaintiffs and visitors.

Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Reform Ahsan Iqbal remarked that it was the first time that proper seating arrangements and other facilities had been provided for litigants and general public in the premises of the High Court building. He added that the prime focus of the project was to facilitate the people.

The federal government has already allocated Rs722.325 million for the project in the current fiscal year.

The IHC is currently housed in the judicial complex in Sector G-10/1, a building meant for the city district courts.

Earlier, on November 5, 2013, former chief justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry performed the groundbreaking for the building. At the time, the cost of the project had been estimated at Rs3.56 billion, however, it was later rationalised and brought down to Rs 2.9 billion.

Metro bus project

The CDWP also approved the construction of the Rawalpindi-Islamabad metro bus depot near Peshawar Mor. The Rs1.47 billion depot would be constructed on 15 acres in Sector H-9. Over 100 stalls in the existing H-9 bazaar have already been vacated to make way for the depot.

In the initial phase, the depot would serve as a simple stopover for buses. Later additions will include a restaurant, filling and service stations and bus workshops.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 25^th, 2014.