Latest news with #Rs8.35
Express Tribune
11-02-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Islamabad Model Jail faces delays
RAWALPINDI: The Islamabad Model Jail project has been delayed indefinitely due to severe funding shortages, leading to a 30 per cent increase in construction costs. Initially estimated at Rs3.9 billion in 2021, the cost escalated to Rs7.4 billion in 2022-23 and has now exceeded Rs8.35 billion due to ongoing delays. The Islamabad jail complex, spanning 90 acres in Sector 16, was launched during the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government and was slated for completion by January 31, 2025. However, due to a lack of funds Rs. 3.6 billion in pending allocationsconstruction has stalled once again. The jail is designed to accommodate 2,000 inmates in the first phase and an additional 2,000 in the second phase, reaching a total capacity of 4,000 prisoners. Facilities include a women's ward, children's ward, hospital, mosque, church, Imambargah, separate cells for different categories of inmates, a kitchen, a playground, and a library. A 22-bed mini-hospital and a large visitor's area for up to 200 people are also part of the plan. Despite its completion, the new jail is not expected to significantly ease overcrowding in Adiala Jail, Rawalpindi, which currently houses over 7,000 inmatesnearly three times its official capacity of 2,700. During the PTI's November 26 protests at D-Chowk, the number of detainees surged past 9,000, forcing authorities to transfer inmates to jails in Attock, Jhelum, and Chakwal. The transfer of 2,000 prisoners from Islamabad to the new facility will provide some relief to Adiala Jail authorities. However, a complete resolution will only be possible once the second phase of the project is completed by December 31, 2025. Sources suggest that the project is unlikely to resume for at least the next three months due to financial constraints.
Express Tribune
31-01-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
Karachi airport being upgraded
KARACHI: In a bid to enhance airside infrastructure and accommodate larger aircraft at Jinnah International Airport, work to upgrade the airport is in full swing. The reconstruction of the main runway (07L/25R) will enable the Karachi airport to seamlessly accommodate wide-body aircraft up to category 4F, including Airbus A380. The classification of the airports is based on the characteristics of the 'critical aircraft'. The critical aircraft is the airplane with the highest requirements that can use the airport. In accordance with its own characteristics to each airport is assigned a code number and a code letter. The code number refers to the airplane reference field length; in the reference field length the stop way and the clear way are included as well. The code letter refers to the critical airplane's wing span and the distance that it's between the external extremities of the wheels of its main landing gear. An aerodrome's reference code may be 1A, 2B, 3C, 4D, 4E, 4F. A state-of-the-art new taxiway, an airfield lighting control and a monitoring system will also be built. The upgrade will feature the latest energy-efficient lighting system, an extended runway by 1,000 feet, making it 11,500 feet, and reconstructed taxiways and overruns at both ends. Four taxi links near the 07L end will also receive an asphaltic overlay, and a control and monitoring system will be installed in the control tower. The project will be completed in one-and-a-half-year at a cost of Rs8.35 billion. The Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) expects this upgrade to attract both domestic and international airlines to operate at the airport in the future. The project, led by the Project Management Unit of the Pakistan Airports Authority, began on July 4, 2024, and is expected to be completed by January 3 next year. The primary objectives of the project include the renovation, revamping, and expansion of the main runway, 7L and 25R. After the completion of the project, Karachi Airport will be upgraded to Category 4F, enabling it to accommodate exceptionally large aircraft, including the Airbus 380.
