The Sub-Committee of the Senate House Committee, chaired by Senator Nasir Mehmood, convened in Islamabad to review repair and construction works at the Parliament Lodges. Senators Poonjo Bheel, Hidayatullah Khan, Husna Bano and Syed Waqar Mehdi joined the session to assess progress on the existing lodges and the construction of 104 new units.
Members raised serious concerns about substandard repair quality, projects executed without proper tendering and persistent delays in delivery. Senator Syed Waqar Mehdi, representing Lodge H-408, questioned payments made to contractors despite unsatisfactory work and pointed to the absence of a functional firefighting system and poor maintenance standards within some lodges.
The Director of the CDA reported that tenders for 69 lodges will be floated soon and that 50 to 60 suites are slated for renovation, including Lodge H-08. The Chairman CDA informed the Committee that liabilities amounting to Rs. 870 million remain pending and that a summary has been forwarded to the Ministry of Finance seeking release of funds to advance the Parliament Lodges programme.
The Committee directed that no payment be released without a completion report signed by the concerned Senator and that a warranty period be ensured for all works. It stressed standardisation of materials, recommended outsourcing repair work where appropriate and called for the formation of a monitoring committee to guarantee quality and compliance across all Parliament Lodges projects.
The Planning Commission briefed the Sub-Committee that the project cost has reached Rs. 7.8 billion and cautioned that any design changes could raise the bill to as much as Rs. 10 billion. To avoid potential audit objections the Committee decided against design modifications and emphasised adherence to approved plans.
A joint inspection of the 104 new lodges has been scheduled for 17th November, to be attended by the consultant and contractor to verify on-site progress. The Sub-Committee reaffirmed its commitment to transparency, accountability and the timely completion of all works related to the Parliament Lodges.
