Meeting on new PA hall tomorrow

By Qamar Jabbar

LAHORE: Pending construction work on the Punjab Assembly’s new 500-seat hall is to begin soon. The Punjab Communication and Works Department is finalising the design of the new hall, assembly sources told Daily Times on Monday.

The main reason for the delay in construction was the design and the cost involved due to the formation of new assembly of 371 members. The chief architect of the Communication and Works Department has prepared several plans and designs for the hall, the sources said. The assembly will meet on Wednesday to discuss the designs.

The present assembly hall was fashioned in the Roman grand-manner. Expensive wood and imported materials were used in the construction but, according to the sources, it would not be cost effective to build the new hall in the same manner.

The chief architect of the C&W; Department would hand over the proposed design to the C&W; secretary, who would forward it to the speaker of Punjab assembly for final approval.

The need for a new hall arose after the October 2002 elections when the number of provincial legislators increased from 248 to 371. The current hall can only accommodate 263 members while the rest have to sit in the visitor’s gallery during the assembly sessions.

The accommodation of 108 legislators in the visitor’s gallery is a difficult task for the assembly secretariat, as extra staff including security is required to provide services for these legislators.

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