ISLAMABAD, Oct 8: The government has decided to turn the ‘Red Zone’ (the Constitution Avenue and its nearby areas) into a ‘Walled City’ or ‘Green Zone’ by constructing a wall and putting scanners around the area to make it a more safer place for the rulers, parliamentarians and foreign diplomats, Dawn learnt on Wednesday.

An estimated amount of Rs8 billion will be required to implement the new security plan.

The plan was prepared following the devastating suicide blast at Marriott Hotel that claimed 53 lives on September 20. The government believes that the target of the suicide bomber was Prime Minister’s Secretariat, where President Asif Ali Zardari and PM Yousuf Raza Gilani were attending an Iftar function.

The Green Zone will house many important buildings including the Parliament House, Presidency, Prime Minister House, Prime Minister Secretariat, Pak-Secretariat, Supreme Court, Parliament Lodges, Ministers Colony, Judges Colony, Punjab House, Frontier House, Balochistan House, Sindh House and other offices.

“There will be a three-foot high and some 15 kilometres long concrete wall along Embassy Road, Margalla Road, Pak Secretraiat, President’s House, Prime Minister’s Secretariat, Diplomatic Enclave and Serena Hotel,” the CDA director urban planning Sarwar Sindhu said.

He said the authority had prepared the design of the wall and shortly it would send a PC-I to the government to seek required funds.

It has been learnt that security forces have adopted the concept of Green Zone or Walled City from Baghdad, where United States troops have declared a vast area as an International Zone (formerly known as Green Zone), where the US authorities live and work.

The main purpose to construct the three feet concrete wall is to stop explosive-laden vehicles from entering into the sealed area, because in many suicide attacks in the country bombers have used heavy vehicles to easily reach their targets.

The CDA official said some eight gates would be set up at different points in the Green Zone for the entry and exit.

He said vehicle scanners and cameras would be installed at several points for which security departments are making arrangements. In this connection, a special security forces will be formed to guard the zone. Traffic would enter the area only from the main gate, where police personnel equipped with latest weapons would be deployed.