ISLAMABAD: A Senate panel was informed on Thursday that a smooth flow of funding is essential for the completion of the under-construction jail in Islamabad.

The Senate Standing Committee on Housing and Works, which met with Senator Nasir Mehmood in the chair, besides other agenda items discussed the model jail project at the H-16 sector.

The project was approved in 2016 with the estimated cost of Rs3.9 billion and the completion deadline of 2019. However, the project faced delays from the start. Later, the PC-I was revised with the cost increasing to Rs7.4 billion.

The committee was informed that out of the Rs7.4 billion, Rs4 billion had already been received. About 90pc of work on barracks and hospital has been completed; however, the allocated amount is insufficient to finalise the project.

Planning Division directed to release additional allocated funds of Rs2.6 billion in January

To this, the committee directed the Planning Division to release additional allocated funds of Rs2.6 billion in January to ensure the timely completion of the project.

Earlier, the project was being executed by the defunct Public Works Department, but now CDA is handling its execution.

Meanwhile, the committee also took up the issue of dysfunctional elevators at Shaheed-i-Millat Secretariat. The committee was briefed on the status of a tender for the installation and maintenance of the lifts, which has been awarded to two firms. The project involves the opening of Letter of Credit (LC) and the import of certain components required for the operation of the lifts.

The total cost of the project was Rs94 million, out of which Rs8 million has already been released. The sponsoring agency for the project is the Ministry of Housing and Works.

A CDA member informed the committee that two lifts had been repaired by the civic agency, while two more required replacement.

The Housing and Works representatives stated that Rs54 million had been allocated for the remaining work; however, CDA estimated that the cost would be around Rs90 million.

It was decided that the CDA would forward the documents along with the updated cost estimates to the Ministry of Housing for allocation of the revised funding.

The chairman of the committee emphasised the need to ensure the installation of the lifts within two weeks.

He observed that a number of secretaries had been posted and transferred in the current year. He expressed concern over the frequent reshuffling of secretary housing, noting that such instability affected the ministry’s functioning.

Meanwhile, the committee raised concern about the non-payment of pending salaries for the past five months to 15 lower-grade employees of the Central Civil Division-I, PWD Lahore. It urged the concerned authorities to resolve the matter on priority.

It was informed that payments to 162 employees of the defunct PWD were still pending.

The committee also reviewed the issue concerning 37 kanals of Constantia Lodge Murree, which is claimed to be the property of the Ministry of Housing and Works. The additional deputy commissioner (revenue) Murree assured the committee that the matter would be examined.

The committee was informed that seven kanals of the encroached land had already been retrieved.

The chairman of the committee stated that land legally belonged to PWD [now housing ministry]. The DPO Murree told the committee five FIRs had been registered in connection with the encroachment, leading to the arrest of nine individuals. The case is currently under trial and the court has summoned the officers involved in the land vacation process.

Locals of Murree have been contesting the PWD’s ownership, claiming that the land in question belonged to them as it had been transferred to their grandfather by a Hindu landlord.

Published in Dawn, December 12th, 2025