Islamabad: Federal Minister for Housing and Works Mian Riaz Hussain Pirzada visited the Shaheed-e-Millat Secretariat in Islamabad’s Blue Area to address longstanding issues with the building’s faulty elevators. During his visit, he chaired a special meeting aimed at resolving the persistent problems plaguing the vertical transport system of the multistorey government office.
The meeting was held in the committee room of the Pakistan Housing Authority Foundation. It was attended by senior officials from the Ministry of Housing and Works, along with representatives from the Islamabad Capital Territory administration, Pakistan Public Works Department (Pak PWD), and the Capital Development Authority (CDA). The Shaheed-e-Millat Secretariat Building, managed by the Ministry of Housing and Works since 1986, relies on one cargo and five passenger elevators, which have been a source of concern.
Discussions revealed that the primary cause of delay in resolving the elevator issues was the lack of timely funding. A contract was initially awarded in 2019 with a budget of Rs. 54.24 million to replace three lifts, following approval of the first Project Concept (PC-I). In 2021, administrative approval was granted for an umbrella PC-I to replace the remaining three passenger lifts at a cost of Rs. 48 million.
Despite an initial release of Rs. 50.92 million for the fiscal year 2020-21, the project failed to progress as planned due to contractor non-compliance. This resulted in the reallocation of funds to other Public Sector Development Program (PSDP) schemes. On October 31, 2024, maintenance duties were transferred from Pak PWD to CDA.
During the meeting, it was agreed that the CDA would promptly seek a revision of the PC-I and address contractor agreements. The CDA Chairman, participating via Zoom, committed to repairing and activating two elevators within the next two weeks.
Minister Pirzada expressed serious concern over the prolonged delays and the impact on thousands of employees and visitors. He criticized the responsible authorities for their oversight and urged immediate action to resolve the issue.