A delay in the completion of the Punjab Irrigation and Drainage Authority (PIDA) here has cost the Irrigation Department Rs30million.
The construction of PIDA House was started at Commissioner Complex Road at an estimated cost of Rs60 million. It was supposed to finish last year.
Former opposition leader in the Punjab Assembly Raja Riaz Ahmad Khan had laid the foundation stone for the project on March 10, 2010.
An officer of the Irrigation Department said on condition of anonymity said that the structure of the PIDA house was beginning to fall apart. He said cracks had developed in the walls and unkempt bushes were growing unchecked.
He said the exits of the PIDA house were blocked by trees and wild dogs roamed the building at night.
He said iron doors and windows were installed when Khan was minister for irrigation. Since construction had been suspended, these iron doors and windows were beginning to rust.
He said, “At present the PIDA officers are working in rented premises and the department has to pay Rs600,000 per month as rent.”
The department could have saved about Rs30 million if the construction of the house had been completed in time, he added.
When contacted, Irrigation Department Executive Engineer Abdul Ghafoor said, “The PIDA house project is being delayed because of shortage of funds. As soon as funds are available, work on the project site will be restarted.”
Published in The Express Tribune, August 1st, 2013.