Construction of Parliament Lodges' second phase: project must be held down, Nisar urges Gilani in a letter

Leader of the opposition in the National Assembly Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan on Friday expressed concern over construction of Parliament Lodges' second phase at the cost of Rs 3 billion and urged Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani to hold down the project owing to economic crunch in the country.
Through a letter, addressed to Prime Minister Gilani, Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan expressed concern over the project launched by the Prime Minister last Wednesday to provide accommodation facility to parliamentarians, which would be funded under the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP), sources told Business Recorder.
The leader of the opposition said the project needs to be held down owing to the current economic situation of the country and the public opinion against the project. According to sources Chaudhry Nisar said on one hand the people of the country were facing severe problems due to unprecedented price hike and unemployment, while on the other launching project worth Rs 3 billion for the legislators would add fuel to fire. He added that in a situation where the flood victims were not available with roofs for their shelter, such a project for the parliamentarians would further trigger disappointment among a large number of victims of the natural calamity.
Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani on January 19 inaugurated construction of second phase of Parliament Lodges to provide accommodation facility to the parliamentarians, which will cost Rs 3 billion from the PSDP. The project has been reportedly awarded to Habib Rafique at 35 percent more than the estimated cost and will be completed in three years.
Sources in the Parliament Lodges said that currently there are nine blocks in the Parliament Lodges out of which seven were residential for 358 family suites against total 442 Senators and MNAs while the remaining two are being used for administration.