Directive to speed up work on IHC building

ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Housing and Works and Pak Public Works Department (PWD) have been given a clear intimation by Islamabad High Court to finalise the bidding process of construction of IHC building which has been delayed because of some “technicalities and hyper technicalities”.
In the backdrop of lobbying by certain officials to award the contract of construction of Islamabad High Court Building to a favourite contractor, Justice Shaukat Siddiqui chaired a meeting on 19-02-2015 and ordered the Ministry and the PWD to finalise the bidding process of Rs3 billion project without any delay.
Well-placed sources in the Ministry told The News that work on IHC building will be awarded on Wednesday (today). Minutes of the meeting chaired by Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui, a copy of which available with The News, mention: “At the very outset, the Hon’ble Chair made it explicitly pellucid to the Secretary Ministry of Housing and Works, Islamabad and D.G. Pak PWD that there are certain reports about non finalization of bidding process in the backdrop of some technicalities and hyper technicalities.
The Chair further observed that bearing in mind the time constraints and sanctity attached with the prestigious institution of judiciary no technical hiccups will be tolerated in future and all the stakeholders must ensure smooth progress and finalization of bidding
process at the earliest.” The meeting was also attended by Raja Jawad Abbas Hassan, Registrar/Member Inspection Team, IHC; Shah Rukh Arbab, Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Works; Ata-ul-Haq Akhtar, Director General Pak PWD; Tariq Hassan, Consultant/Architect and Muhammad Jahangir Awan, Additional Registrar (P&D), IHC.
The minutes reveal that the secretary housing assured Justice Siddiqui that no hurdle has been created or will be created by the Ministry. He said every possible effort will be made to ensure finalisation of bidding process and inauguration of high court building within shortest possible time.
DG PWD apprised Justice Siddiqui that a notification pertaining to his transfer has been issued and he might not be able to continue with the project. “Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Works assured the Hon’ble Chair that any such notification will be held in abeyance and D.G. Pak PWD will ensure finalization of bidding process of IHC building and initiation of construction work,” the minutes of the meeting add.
DG PWD assured the IHC judge that bidding process will be finalised within seven days and after another three days necessary arrangements will be made for inauguration of IHC Building.
In the meeting, following unanimous decisions have been made:-
i) That notification of transfer of DG PWD will be held in abeyance till the finalisation of bidding process of IHC building and initiation of construction work.
ii) That bidding process for construction of IHC building will be finalized within seven days. The inauguration of construction of IHC building will be made on 2nd March, 2015 by keeping aside all the technicalities.
It is worth mentioning here that the Project Director IHC Building Brig (R) Amjad Ali Jan wrote a letter to the PWD mentioning that so far no violation of PPRA Rules has been observed in the bidding process. The DG PWD was facing pressures from various corners to award the multi billion rupees contract of construction of an important building to a favourite contractor of which the IHC was informed and as a result, Justice Siddiqui intervened.