Worth its while? New CM House, secretariat planned

The project is to be located on a government plot currently occupied by a hotel

KARACHI:
The Sindh government will construct a new Chief Minister (CM) House and secretariat, and also renovate the existing building, it was decided at a meeting at CM House on Friday.

The meeting, attended by works and services department officials and project consultants, reviewed the PC-1 for the construction of the new CM secretariat and the renovation of the existing building. An amount of Rs2 billion has been allocated for the new project, which will cover 26,000 square feet, while Rs100 million have been earmarked for the renovation of the old secretariat.

CM Qaim Ali Shah told the Karachi commissioner and the Sindh advocate general to get the government plot adjacent to the existing CM House vacated the plot is in the possession of a hotel and reserve it for the new secretariat.

Expressing annoyance, he asked why a plot belonging to the Sindh government was being used by the hotel. “This is negligence on the part of our officials,” he said, adding that action must be taken against the responsible officials.


According to officials, the Sindh government owns the plot but it has been the point of dispute between the hotel administration and the provincial government. “Despite the court’s decision in favour of the government, the plot has yet to be vacated,” explained a senior official.

Shah directed the architects and consultants to revise their plan for the new CM secretariat, making it more aesthetically pleasing and accommodating for a better working environment. He also asked the engineers to revise their PC-1 for the renovation of the existing CM House in order to ensure that its present form remained intact with its original features. He said that the building was a historical asset of the province that must be maintained and preserved at any cost.

Meanwhile, the works and services department officials briefed the meeting about the salient features of the new CM secretariat, saying that the building had been designed with a ground-plus-three floors plan, along with a double basement, providing parking for at least 150 vehicles. They said that the project will be completed within two years, whereas the renovation of the CM House will be completed within six months.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 13th, 2014.
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