GUJRANWALA, Oct 10: The construction of new regional passport office building, which was scheduled to be completed by April 28 this year, is still incomplete and the office is being run in a small rented building inconveniencing citizens as well as officials.

Dawn has learnt on Tuesday that contract to build new regional passport office near railway station, costing Rs16 million, was given to Messers Ch Muhammad Munir and Sons, a Lahore-based construction firm, on Apr 28, 2006. According to the original plan, the contractor was bound to deliver the possession of the constructed building within one year i.e. by Apr 28, 2007.

Despite the lapse of almost one and a half year, the contractor has yet filled the foundations for the proposed building and its completion in near future is unlikely as only a few labourers are working on the site.

A representative of the contractor said they started construction work on the site in Apr 2007 and they would complete it before the stipulated one-year deadline i.e. by Apr 28, 2008.

Locals claim that construction firm’s officials had enhanced the project’s deadline by deleting its original starting date Apr 28, 2006 from the foundation stone and subsequently replacing it with Apr 28, 2007.

In the meanwhile, the building department had got its building vacated from the passport authorities and demolished it for reconstruction. The passport authorities had no option except to shift the office in a rented building on Sialkot Road, which is not spacious enough to entertain a large number of daily visitors.

When contacted, a Public Works Department official said that the authorities concerned had noticed delays in the construction of passport office building and notices had already been issued to the contractor to expedite the construction work.

Locals have urged the authorities concerned to get the construction work completed on time.