ISLAMABAD: The Law and Justice Division have been allocated 1.025 billion rupees in PSDP 2018-19 to complete its nine on-going and seven new schemes. Interestingly, with 535 million rupees earmarked for construction of Islamabad High Court (IHC) building in G-5, more than half of the budget has been allocated to a single brick-and-mortar project in the making since 2013.
The under-construction IHC building, an ambitious project by the Law Ministry awaits completion since its groundbreaking on 5th November 2012 by former chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry. It is pertinent to mention that work on the site of construction in the red zone, sector G-5 is still going on. The new IHC building spans over five acres of land and will cost Ministry of Law and Justice around two and a half billion rupees.
Unlike last year where the emphasis was laid on a construction of new buildings, this year, however, projects like allocation of 19.397 million rupees for strengthening the Ombudsman system and Administrative Justice and up-gradation expansion of online Complaint Management System, 12.706 million rupees for strengthening Institutional capacity if Ministry of Law and Justice, 27. 334 million rupees for Public Awareness and Advocacy about Dispute Resolution Mechanism of Federal Tax Ombudsman along with other construction projects including construction of Additional blocks in Judicial Administration Complex costing around 105 million rupees.
75 million rupees had been allocated to the construction of Sessions Division East of Islamabad High Court Islamabad. The construction of Supreme Court of Pakistan Branch Registry building at Karachi has been allocated 15 million along with other projects. Interestingly, six out of seven new projects have not been approved by Central Development Working Party.
During the fiscal year, 2017-18, the Ministry of Law and Justice had allocated 1200 million rupees in Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP). Total 9 schemes, 5 are on-going projects from last years while 4 new schemes will be initiated. Interestingly, all new schemes were brick and mortar construction projects like construction of office building of Federal Tax Ombudsman, residences of judges, session courts and rest house.