Renovation work at NSK starts

KARACHI: The contract for renovation and development work at National Stadium Karachi (NSK) has finally been awarded to NLC. Its team visited the stadium and started the survey work on various sites on Friday, ‘The News’ has learnt. Informed sources said that construction machinery had also reached NSK.

The sources said that PCB has planned that most urgent development work would be completed before the PSL and other works would be carried out after PSL. It was also learnt that the boundary wall of the stadium will also be re-examined as ICC security team has directed to raise the wall higher. The wall, at various points, is in a bad condition.

The PCB wants to organise some PSL matches in Pakistan and a few of them in Karachi. The PCB has faced sharp criticism for organising all three T20 matches against the World XI, PSL-II final and a series against Zimbabwe in Lahore.

The proposed matches against Sri Lanka and West Indies are also likely to be held in Lahore. The NSK needs a comprehensive overhauling. The roof of many enclosures of the stadium is rusted — there are even big holes at some places.

All public toilets are broken and in poor shape. The chairs of several enclosures are broken. Besides, the building of the stadium needs to be painted anew.The PCB sources said that all public bathrooms at NSK would be renovated, the ceiling would be changed, and the dressing rooms and pavilions would also be renovated. The following works are to be done initially: reconstruction of the toilet block, removal of existing rusted steel pre-cast ceilings, rehabilitation of enclosures, rehabilitation of pavilion buildings, including rooftop water tank, and water supply and drainage systems.