KARACHI: Assembly hall expansion project may be revived
By Habib Khan Ghori
KARACHI, April 3: Moves are afoot to revive the abandoned project that was aimed adding a spacious hall to the present assembly hall of the historic Sindh Assembly Building.
Originally, the hall had a capacity of just 62 members. The assembly building was inaugurated on March 4, 1942. Later, the capacity was increased when the members’ strength swelled to 114. However, the accommodation in the assembly hall proved insufficient and a cause of inconvenience to the members when their strength rose to 168. Movement within the hall has become so troublesome that a member has to disturb no less than a dozen fellows to reach a seat in another row if wants to consult with his party leader, minister or any other member during the session.
Likewise, there are 36 seats for newsmen in the press gallery whereas the competent authority has to issue more than 300 passes for willing media men now-a-days. For hardly 16 seats in the VIP gallery, reserved for ex-legislators and other VIPs, the number of deserving pass seekers runs in dozens and at least 24 such passes are issued. The position of visitors’ gallery and officials’ gallery is no different. As against 29 seats in officials’ gallery, 50 passes are issued and against the 90 seats for visitors, 800 people are allowed in.
To overcome the seating problem, a project had been reviewed several a times but no progress could be achieved for various reasons. The project was to be discussed once again at a meeting called by the Speaker, Syed Muzaffar Hussain Shah, in the second week of March. This meeting could not be convened owing to the Speaker’s indisposition. Now, the postponed meeting is likely to be held sometime during this month.
As the construction cost and expenses of related services had escalated during the last decade, a demand is likely to be made for the allocation of Rs100 million in the next budget to revive the project, said the Assembly Secretary, Hadi Bux Buriro, adding that the plan included construction of a new hall with offices and chambers for the speaker, deputy speaker, secretary of the assembly and other essential staff.
It was the PPP’s government which, in ’90s, first realized that the MPAs’ strength was bound to increase with the passage of time and increase in the province’s population. It had considered different options, either to shift the assembly to a new building or build a new spacious hall by annexing the backyard of the same building.
Abdullah Shah, during his tenure as chief minister, had proposed that a new assembly building be constructed in Malir.
Sardar Mumtaz Ali Bhutto, when took over as caretaker chief minister after dismissal of PPP government, had reportedly suggested that a new assembly building be raised in Sehwan Sharif, Dadu.
Due to financial constraints, it was decided that the capacity of the hall in the existing historic building be enhanced to accommodate 200 members and that a feasibility be prepared for the purpose.
The feasibility estimated the cost at Rs45 million. However, subsequent political developments blocked any progress on the project before the commencement of tender inviting process.
In 1998, when cracks developed in the dome of the assembly building, the issue again surfaced and a crash programme was chalked out to carry out repair work to preserve the historic place, where Pakistan Resolution was adopted. The place was the venue of the first constitutional assembly where the country was given the name of Islamic Republic in 1956.
After change of guards in the country under Legal Framework Order, the strength of the assembly has increased to 168. The emergent need to expand the assembly hall by increasing seating capacity was obviously felt.
According to a report, the authorities chose not to construct a new fully-equipped hall having a capacity of 200 members at an estimated cost of Rs45 million. Instead, it opted for repair and renovation project costing Rs55 million which had no provision of accommodating a single extra member in the previous strength of 114.
