ISLAMABAD: More than six years after its conception, the Islamabad model prison is inching towards becoming a reality after the project was approved by the Central Development Working Party (CDWP) on Monday.

However, construction on the model prison cannot begin before July 2016 because the project will be funded by the 2016/17 federal development budget.

The CDWP has approved the construction cost of the project as Rs4.5 billion.

The model prison will house 2,000 inmates, including men, women and juveniles.

The prison will also hold a National Academy for Prisons Administration, schools for boys and girls, vocational facilities, a mosque and a prayers hall for minorities, a post office, banks, shops and more.

The executing agency of the project is the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) administration, and the prison will be constructed by the Public Works Department (PWD), after the funds have been released by the federal government.

Even though a groundbrealcing ceremony of the model prison was performed by former chief justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry in Nov 2013, the project has thusfaronly existed on paper.

Originally conceived in 2009, the project was planned to be completed by the end of 2013. However, land procurement for the prison was delayed due to mismanagement on the part of the Capital Development Authority (CDA).

`The key concerns are that the prison in the area is Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi, and many prisoners including some high profile, under-trial prisoners like Mumtaz Qadri or political detainees have to go back and forth from Adiala for court appearances,` an ICT administration official said.

`This long distance travelling increases risks, including the risk of targeted attacks or attacks to free the inmates.

According to CDA, the matter now rests with the interior ministry, because CDA had fulfilled its duties over a year ago.

`CDA had completed the land acquisition in Nov 2014, said CDA Member Administration Amir Ahmed Ali, who added that the authority has acquired around 720 kanals of land in H-16.

The prison site is near the Islamabad-Lahore motorway toll plaza, close to Jhangi Syedan village. Once possession of the land has been taken, it will be handed over to the ICT administration for the construction of the prison.

Mr Ali said CDA received approximately Rs670 million from the state to acquire the land, which it paid to local landowners.

`The land has already been transferred to the ICT administration for the prison`s construction,` he said.

The matter was previously placed before CDWP in April this year, but was delayed due to environmental concerns, the requirements for which have been fulfilled by the ICT administration.