PESHAWAR, Feb 19: In the wake of a report ruling out expansion in the seating arrangements in the present NWFP Assembly building to accommodate the extra number of members, the government has decided to abandon it and hold the future assembly sessions at the Peshawar City District Council Hall, sources told Dawn here on Tuesday.
The existing assembly hall occupied since 1988 has exhausted its seating capacity following the increase in the number of provincial assembly constituencies from 83 to 130. Fata would also be represented in the assembly for the first time.
Until the construction of a new building, the larger provincial assembly will hold its sessions at the under- construction hall of the city district council, the sources said.
The assembly building, constructed in the early 1930s, used to house the West Pakistan High Court and then the Peshawar High Court, while the assembly used to meet in the Victoria Hall. Before shifting over to the present assembly building in 1988, the assembly used to hold sessions at the Provincial Rural Academy.
The sources said consultants have outrightly rejected further expansion in the existing assembly building. The government is planning to construct new building and for this purpose site has been earmarked in posh Hayatabad township. The assembly secretariat officials told Dawn the governor would soon recommend the proposed site for the assembly building.
They said till the construction of new building the leader of the house, opposition leader, speaker and deputy speaker chambers and the assembly secretariat staff would function in the existing building.
The under-construction city district council hall with 132 seats capacity is being equipped with all facilities, including visitors and press galleries, and is likely to be completed by March 23. It is learnt that the construction work has been delayed due to funds shortage. The city district government has allocated a sum of Rs4 million for the under-construction hall and requires additional amount for sound and airconditioning system.