Over 40 KMC sports grounds illegally occupied, says mayor

More than 40 sports grounds belonging to the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) are currently under illegal occupation of various organisations and individuals, according to Karachi Mayor Barrister Murtaza Wahab.

Wahab stressed the need to reclaim these grounds from the occupiers and to make them accessible to the public. “Regardless of anyone’s influence, safeguarding the KMC’s assets is our responsibility, and we will fulfil it.”

He mentioned that the swimming pool at the KMC Sports Complex has already been opened to the public. Additionally, he said, plans are under way to provide a family area and a restaurant for members at the KMC Sports Complex and the Women Sports Complex, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, to enhance recreational facilities.

During a meeting held at the KMC Sports Complex after a detailed visit to the facility on Tuesday, the mayor inspected various amenities such as the football stadium, the tennis court and the bowling alley. He gave immediate directives to the officers concerned to ensure proper maintenance and utilisation of these facilities.

Expressing his vision for the KMC’s sports complexes, he stressed the need for more facilities to serve the public. He instructed the senior director of culture and sports to provide an updated report on the KMC’s sports grounds across the city within a week.

Wahab expressed concerns over the occupation of the KMC’s sports grounds by various entities, saying that people are often unaware of the KMC’s ownership of these places. He announced plans to open the swimming pool at the Landhi Sports Complex to the public within a week.

Noting the lack of revenue generated from the 47 KMC grounds in Federal B Area, he stressed the importance of utilising these assets to enhance the KMC’s income. He directed making efforts to recover and restore all the KMC’s sports grounds and to ensure proper signage to prevent future occupations.

He invited individuals, institutions and sports organisations interested in public-private partnerships to collaborate in activating and maintaining these sports facilities. He ordered swift completion of the facilities of family areas, restaurants, badminton courts and yoga classes at the Women Sports Complex, Gulshan-e-Iqbal.