ISLAMABAD – The Senate House Committee on Wednesday expressed concern over allegedly slow pace and poor quality of work of the under-construction 104 new lodges for members of parliament, noting that around 20 per cent of the project has been completed despite claims of “substantial” progress by government authorities. The committee met under the chair of Senate Deputy Chairman Syedaal Khan to review key matters relating to Parliament Lodges. The meeting showed its dismay over the absence of senior officials from the ministries concerned and the Capital Development Authority (CDA), observing that such non-participation reflects a lack of seriousness towards parliamentary oversight.
The inspection committee presented its findings on the construction of the 104 new lodges. Reading out the findings, Senator Kamil Ali Agha informed the members that despite claims of substantial progress by authorities concerned, only around 20 per cent of the project was found to be functionally complete during the visit. He highlighted several deficiencies, including changes from the originally approved central air-conditioning system to individual air-conditioning units and inadequate ventilation arrangements. The other flaws are of design affecting the installation of ceiling fans and impractical placement of storage space at the entrance of the lodges, he said, noting that overall quality and standard of construction was poor.
Responding to the observations, the Member (Engineering) CDA informed the committee that the grey structure had been completed while finishing works were in progress. He stated that imported lifts were yet to be installed, and furniture had already been ordered. He further told the lawmakers that an architect had been engaged to prepare a model lodge for the renovation of the existing Parliament Lodges, where electrical and allied systems would also be upgraded.
During the meeting, Senator Jan Muhammad Buledi highlighted that only a token allocation had been made for repair of his allotted lodge despite repeated requests over the past three years. ON this, the Director CDA said that funds for the first quarter had been released and tendering would commence shortly, with work expected to begin in the first week of September 2026. The Chief Planning Officer of the Ministry of Planning in his briefing told the committee that the total cost of the 104 new Parliament Lodges Project stood at Rs. 7.1 billion, of which Rs. 3.5 billion had already been utilized, while Rs. 1.1 billion had been allocated during the current financial year. On the issue of the forensic audit, CDA officials informed that the Auditor General of Pakistan had initiated an external forensic audit of the repair and maintenance works, and the report was awaited.Committee Chairman Syedaal proposed that an independent forensic audit of both the existing Parliament Lodges and the under-construction 104 lodges be conducted by a professional consultancy firm headed by Syed Shabbar Zaidi. Senator Agha strongly supported the proposal, describing the firm as highly professional. The committee unanimously recommended engaging the firm to carry out the forensic audit to ensure transparency, accountability and quality assurance in the execution of the works.
The committee reiterated its commitment to ensuring timely completion of the project, maintaining the highest construction standards and safeguarding public funds through effective parliamentary oversight. Senators Danesh Kumar, Hidayatullah Khan and Naseema Ehsan, along with senior officials from the CDA, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Planning and the Senate Secretariat also attended the meeting.
