ICTA marks 700-kanal land in I-17

ISLAMABAD – Islamabad Capital Territory Administration (ICTA)’s third time effort for the establishment of jail in the Federal Capital has once again given some hope to the relatives of inmates as the Administration has recently identified 700-kanal land in Sector I-17 near Motorway Toll Plaza for this purpose.

The District Administration will move a summary regarding the identification of this land to the Federal Law Ministry that would further forward it to the federal government for the approval of purchase of this land, an official of the Administration informed this on the condition of anonymity. He also said the land had been identified only and has yet to be transferred in the name of Administration by the Capital Development Authority (CDA).

CDA had acquired this land at the rate of Rs 8,35,000 per kanal and the federal government had to bear the estimated expenditures amounting to Rs 584.5 million for the purchase of this land.
This is the third time that the ICT Administration had identified either land or the building for the establishment of Islamabad Jail. The establishment of a jail for the capital is the long-standing issue since its inception for more than 50 years.

Earlier, the inmates who are used to be resident of Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) are kept in Adiala Jail, Rawalpindi and their relatives have to face many difficulties while visiting them and at the same time it becomes very uncomfortable for the capital police to transport them to the local courts in Islamabad.

The establishment of jail for the inmates living in the jurisdiction of the capital was the also long-standing desire as well as demand of the judiciary, the administration, the police and the legal fraternity.

Prior to this, ICT Administration had identified 700 kanal of land near Malout Village in the suburbs of the capital in 2009 and the land was available at the rate of 1.1 million per Kanal with the total estimated cost of Rs 770 million. The land did not fall in the jurisdiction of CDA.

Chief Justice of Supreme Court of Pakistan, Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry taking the notice of the issue had observed that the price of the land was too much high and had formed a high level committee on this matter with the observation that the land for the capital jail should be identified from the acquired land of CDA.

The Committee comprising federal secretaries of law, interior and finance etc. had also endorsed that the land for the Islamabad Jail should be acquired from the CDA designated land, the official of the Administration informed.

“Soon after the identified land will be purchased from CDA, then PC-1 will be formed having the total expenditures to construct the jail building and will be moved to the Ministry of Interior for further approval,” the official said.

Earlier, the issue of Islamabad Jail had become controversial when the federal government had given approval for conversation of a Technical Training College building situated in Pind Mera Begwal near Bahara Kahu into the Islamabad Jail building. Interior Minister Rehman Malik was about to go there for the inauguration of the jail building when the people of the area held a protest demonstration against the government’s decision to convert an educational institute into a jail building.

The government had to give up the idea after the continuous the protest of local public.