Senate House Committee Reviews Progress on New Parliament Lodges, Expresses Concern over Quality of Work and Delays

Senate House Committee Reviews
Progress on New Parliament Lodges, Expresses Concern over Quality of Work and Delays

Islamabad:(Special Representative)According to Global times News Agancy Europe,The Senate House Committee, chaired by Senator Syedaal Khan, Deputy Chairman Senate/Chairman Senate House Committee, met today at Parliament House to review key matters relating to Parliament Lodges.The meeting was attended by Senator Danesh Kumar, Senator Hidayatullah Khan, Senator Jan Muhammad, Senator Kamil Ali Agha, and Senator Naseema Ehsan, along with senior officials from the Capital Development Authority (CDA), Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives, and the Senate Secretariat.The Committee expressed serious concern over the absence of senior representatives from the concerned ministries and CDA, observing that such non-participation reflects a lack of seriousness towards parliamentary oversight. The matter was taken seriously by the Committee.The inspection committee presented its findings on the construction of the 104 new lodges. According to the findings Senator Kamil Ali Agha informed the Committee that, despite claims of substantial progress, only around 20 percent of the project was found to be functionally complete during the visit. Several deficiencies were highlighted, including changes from the originally approved central air-conditioning system to individual air-conditioning units, inadequate ventilation arrangements, design flaws affecting the installation of ceiling fans, impractical placement of storage space at the entrance of the lodges, and concerns over the overall quality and standard of construction.Responding to the observations, the Member Engineering, CDA, informed the Committee that the grey structure had been completed while finishing works were in progress. He stated that imported lifts are yet to be installed and furniture has already been ordered. He further informed the Committee that an Architects has been engaged to prepare a model lodge for the renovation of the existing Parliament Lodges, where electrical and allied systems will also be upgraded.During the meeting, Senator Jan Muhammad highlighted that only a token allocation had been made for repair of his allotted lodge despite repeated requests over the past three years. The Director, CDA, informed the Committee that funds for the first quarter had been released and tendering would commence shortly, with work expected to begin in the first week of September 2026.The Chief Planning Officer, Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives, informed the Committee that the total cost of the 104 New Parliament Lodges Project stands at Rs. 7.1 billion, of which Rs. 3.5 billion has already been utilized, while Rs. 1.1 billion has been allocated during the current financial year.On the issue of the forensic audit, CDA officials informed the Committee that the Auditor General of Pakistan has initiated an external forensic audit of the repair and maintenance works, and the report is awaited.The Chairman of the Committee proposed that an independent forensic audit of both the existing Parliament Lodges and the construction of the new 104 lodges be conducted by a professional consultancy firm headed by Syed Shabbar Zaidi. Senator Kamil Ali Agha strongly supported the proposal, describing the firm as highly professional. The Committee unanimously recommended engaging the firm for carrying out the forensic audit to ensure transparency, accountability, and quality assurance in the execution of the works.The Committee reiterated its commitment to ensuring timely completion of the project, maintaining the highest construction standards, and safeguarding public funds through effective parliamentary oversight