ISLAMABAD: City managers have directed the Engineering Wing of the Capital Development Authority (CDA) to ensure the early completion of the ongoing Islamabad Model Jail project.

Once completed, the jail will be the first of its kind in Islamabad. In the absence of a dedicated jail, the Islamabad administration currently relies on the overcrowded Adiala Jail.

CDA Chairman Muhammad Ali Randhawa, along with Member Engineering Syed Nafasat Raza, visited Sector H-16 on Monday to inspect the ongoing construction work. The member engineering and his team briefed the chairman on the progress of the project.

Following the visit, the CDA issued a press release stating that the chairman had directed that the administrative block, kitchen, jail hospital and barracks be completed within the current month.

Officials cite financial constraints as a hurdle despite directives to complete key components within the month

However, some officials told Dawn that the project is facing funding issues and that it is unlikely the four components will be completed within the stipulated timeframe. They said that even after the release of funds, it would take almost two months to complete these components to begin the first phase of jail operations.

Last month, CDA officials informed the Senate Standing Committee on Housing and Works that the project, with a total cost of Rs7.4 billion, had so far received Rs4bn in funding.

The committee was told that around 90 per cent of the work on the barracks and hospital had been completed; however, the allocated amount was insufficient to finalise the project.

The committee subsequently directed the Planning Division to release additional funds of Rs2.6bn in January to ensure timely completion. Earlier, the project was being executed by the now-defunct Public Works Department, and has since been taken over by the CDA.

It is pertinent to note that the project was approved in 2016 at an estimated cost of Rs3.9bn, with a completion deadline of 2019. However, delays in its initiation led to a revision of the PC-I, raising the estimated cost to Rs7.4bn.

According to the CDA press release, the chairman instructed that all development work be carried out to high standards and completed at the earliest. He also directed that landscaping and environmentally friendly plantation around the jail be initiated, and that the remaining boundary wall work be completed promptly.

“The installation of all main entrance gates of the Islamabad Model Jail should be completed as soon as possible. Road infrastructure work should also be completed swiftly, and the installation of tube wells should begin soon to ensure immediate water supply,” the chairman was quoted as saying.

Mr Randhawa further directed that drainage and sewerage works be completed immediately and that continuous follow-up be maintained with Iesco to ensure the early provision of electricity to the jail. The press release added that the chairman instructed the project director and resident engineers to ensure high-quality and timely completion through effective monitoring of all ongoing construction activities.

Published in Dawn, December 16th, 2025