Shaheed-e-Millat Sectt elevators closed

Islamabad: Elevators at the Shaheed-e-Millat Secretariat, which houses several government offices, have been closed by the Pakistan Public Works Department tasked with maintaining them saying lifts in the 16-storey building in Blue Area near Parliament have threatened the life of passengers for exceeding their "useful life."

The elevator closure comes on the orders of the housing and works ministry, which oversees the affairs of the PWD. The high-rise building, which was put up in 1980 and renovated in 2005 after a massive fire, houses offices of around a dozen government ministries and divisions, and an income tax tribunal.

The PWD, which is responsible for the maintenance and repairs of all federally-owned government buildings, recently wrote a letter to those public sector entities informing them about the closure of all Shaheed-e-Millat Secretariat elevators saying the "lifts have passed their useful life and are beyond economic repair due to unavailability of their parts."

It warned that the use of those elevators was dangerous for people working in or visiting in the 16-storey building, so any "mishap" could happen anytime. The PWD also revealed in the communication that PC-I for the replacement of lifts at the cost of Rs48 million was formally approved by authorities in February 2021 but it didn't receive any funds delaying that work.

People working in the building as well as visitors have complained of being troubled by the closure of lifts and said they, especially women, the elderly and people with disabilities, had to climb stairs to their misery.

They insisted that two years ago, private firm Al-Awan Construction was contracted to install new elevators but the project suffered long delays increasing costs. Employees also claimed that the Federal Investigation Agency was looking into complaints against the Al-Awan Electric and Construction Co and PWD officials over complaints about elevator installation at the Shaheed-e-Millat Secretar­iat and other government buildings in the federal capital. They demanded of authorities, especially the prime minister, to step in for their relief by ensuring an early installation of lifts in the building.