Staff Report
ISLAMABAD: Senate House Committee on Wednesday expressed serious concerns over the quality of work on the construction of 104 new Parliament Lodges and delays in construction, stressing the need for greater transparency and accountability.
The committee met here at Parliament House under the chairmanship of the Deputy Chairman, Senate, and the Senate House Committee Chairman, Senator Syedaal Khan.
Senators Danesh Kumar, Hidayatullah Khan, Jan Muhammad, Kamil Ali Agha and Naseema Ehsan attended the meeting along with senior officials from the Capital Development Authority (CDA), the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives, and the Senate Secretariat.
The committee also criticised the absence of senior representatives from the relevant ministries and the CDA, saying it reflected a lack of seriousness towards parliamentary oversight. An inspection committee presented its findings on the construction of the new lodges.
Senator Kamil Ali Agha informed the meeting that although officials had claimed significant progress, only about 20 per cent of the project appeared to be functionally complete during the inspection.
He pointed out several shortcomings, including the replacement of the approved central air-conditioning system with individual air-conditioning units, poor ventilation, design issues affecting ceiling-fan installation, impractical storage space at the entrances of the lodges, and concerns about the overall quality of construction.
Responding to the observations, the CDA’s Member Engineering said the grey structure had been completed and finishing work was under way.
He added that imported lifts had yet to be installed, while furniture had already been ordered.
The official also said an architect had been hired to prepare a model lodge for the renovation of the existing Parliament Lodges.
The renovation would also include upgrades to electrical and other related systems.
During the meeting, Senator Jan Muhammad said only a token amount had been allocated for repairs to his allotted lodge despite repeated requests over the past three years.
A CDA director told the committee that funds for the first quarter had been released, the tendering process would begin shortly, and repair work was expected to start in the first week of September.
The Chief Planning Officer of the Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives informed the committee that the total cost of the 104 new Parliament Lodges project was Rs 7.1 billion. Of this, Rs 3.5 billion has already been spent, while Rs 1.1 billion has been allocated for the current financial year.
On the issue of a forensic audit, CDA officials said the Auditor General of Pakistan had launched an external forensic audit of repair and maintenance work, and its report was awaited.
The committee chairman proposed an independent forensic audit of both the existing Parliament Lodges and the construction of the new lodges by a professional consultancy firm headed by Syed Shabbar Zaidi.
Senator Kamil Ali Agha supported the proposal, describing the firm as highly professional.
The committee unanimously recommended hiring the firm to conduct the forensic audit to ensure transparency, accountability and quality in the execution of the project.
The committee reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring the timely completion of the project, maintaining high construction standards and protecting public funds through effective parliamentary oversight.
