Report on Shaheed-i-Millat Sectt not Finalised
Pakistan Times National News Desk

ISLAMABAD: The technical committee of the Ministry of Housing & Works set up to investigate the causes of the fire that destroyed Shaheed-i-Millat Secretariat has not so far been able to finalise its report after lapse of nearly three years.

However, the inquiry committee of the Ministry of Interior recommended to further investigate the two ministry officials about their alleged involvement in the incident.

This was disclosed by an official in the Ministry of Housing & Work on Thursday.

Backdrop

“The Housing Ministry had constituted an inquiry committee under the chairmanship of PWD Director General to assess the losses of fire that engulfed the entire Shaheed-i-Millat Secretariat on January 15, 2002”, he added.

He said that while the said committee had not concluded its report, the Chief Executive Secretariat set up another committee under the supervision of Mohammad Daud Tahir, the then Member Chief Executive Commission which finished its report in March, 2002. He informed that the incident took place three years back, which damaged the structure of Secretariat building from 4th to 16th floor.

The electrical/mechanical and air-conditioning system in the building was completely destroyed. The official record, furniture and equipment belonging to various ministries/divisions housed in the secretariat were also partly damaged in the incident.

Colossal Loss

Giving the details of the colossal loss sustained by the 10-Ministries/Divisions from basement to 16th floor, official said that the Establishment and Services wing of the Establishment Division suffered loss of Rs 4, 11 000 mainly due to water used by the firefighters to extinguish the fire, Federal Land Commission Rs 60, 0000, Ministry of Science and Technology, Rs 1, 00000 while partially damaging the record and furniture of the Ministry of Food & Agriculture, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Water & Power, Ministry of Interior and Federal Government Housing Foundation. Public Works Department (PWD) had awarded Rs 500 million contract of renovation and refurbishment of Shaheed-i-Millat Secretariat to a local company.

The First Phase

The first phase of the project started two months back. The Secretariat building formally known as House Building Finance Cooperation (HBFC) Tower had caught fire after electric short-circuiting but the report of the inquiry committee has not been made public. The Ministry of Housing & Works, which supervised its construction, purchased it from the HBFC in 1986 at a cost of Rs.166.83 million. The building was built on a plot of two lakh square feet, with one fourth covered areas, it accommodated 10 Ministries and Divisions which have now been shifted to hired buildings after the January 15 fire.

The concerned departments have expressed their optimism that the said project would be successfully completed within the stipulated. When Pakistan Observer contacted an official in PWD, he said that the rehabilitation work will cost of Rs.56.225million.●