ISLAMABAD, March 1: Heavy rains, which filled up dried dams and streams, have also exposed many cover-ups like the leakage of ceilings of the Parliament House, renovated recently with a hefty amount of Rs72 million.
The carpets on the third floor, which provides access to the press and visitors’ galleries, have been rolled-up to prevent further damage after they were soiled with rainwater. The rolled- up carpets have been kept in a clumsy manner, giving an odd look.
The building had been given a new coat of paint, while its floors were polished and furnished with new carpets last October in connection with the restoration of the parliament.
A source told Dawn that the Capital Development Authority (CDA), responsible for the maintenance of the building, was allocated nearly Rs72 million. While the CDA spent the amount in giving the building a new look, it forgot to rectify a major flaw — leaking ceilings — which had persisted in the building since 1986.
In addition to renovating the building, the amount was also spent on enhancing the seating arrangement in the assembly hall to accommodate 342 National Assembly members, 100 senators, seats for the attorney general and advisers.
The original seating capacity for the legislators was 350 in May 1986 when Mohammad Khan Junejo inaugurated the new parliament building on May 27, 1986. It was then considered enough to accommodate 227 MNAs and 87 senators in the joint session of the parliament.
Later, 50 more seats were installed in the hall after the assembly caught fire on November 9, 1993 during Benazir Bhutto’s second government, increasing the total number to 400.
The source said the engineers had been approached by the CDA in the past for rectification of the leaking roofs, but they had suggested that the flaw occurred during the constructional stage. The authority tried to remove the fault, but failed to do so.
The corridors and the ministers’ chambers leak after every spell of rain. The source said at one time the CDA engineers thought that the earth fillings done for landscaping of the building were responsible for allowing rainwater to seep through the ceiling, and therefore, rectification work was carried out four years ago. However, rainwater continue to seep through the ceiling. Buckets can be seen at different points in the assembly, placed for collecting seeping rainwater.