August 19, 2002	Monday	Jamadi-us-Saani 9, 1423

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ISLAMABAD, Aug 18: The renovation work on gutted Shaheed-i- Millat Secretariat will be commissioned in the current month at a cost of Rs100 million, a senior official of Public Works Department (PWD) told Dawn on Sunday.

He said government had allocated Rs100 million for the renovation of the building under Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP). The PWD was responsible for the maintenance of the building therefore, renovation will also be carried out by them.

The renovation will be of high quality and a proper fire preventing and fire fighting system will be installed.

He confirmed that property worth over Rs70 million was destroyed in the fire on January 15 and 14 out of 17 floors were completely gutted in the incident.

Despite separate investigations by various departments such as police, interior ministry and chief executive secretariat the cause of fire could not be ascertained.

The allocated amount would be spent on buying air conditioners, wood panelling, false ceiling, wood work, flooring.

The Shaheed-e-Millat Secretariat was among the first high- rise buildings of the capital constructed some 22 years ago.

The site plan of the building was first approved in 1976 and it was constructed in 1980. Some renovation and expansion of the building was executed in 1995 and 1997, the official said.

The building originally belonged to House Building Finance Corporation (HBFC) and was purchased in 1986 by the ministry of housing and works for Rs163 million.

The building houses 10 ministries, divisions and departments: the interior ministry, federal government employees, environment, urban affairs and local government, PHF, ministry of water and power, abandoned properties organisation, federal land commission, management services wing, ministry of food and agriculture, science and technology, statistic division and education.