Govt may pump Rs2b to lift state of sports

ISLAMABAD: The government has indicated that it will initiate new sports development projects worth Rs2 billion after initial fears that work would only be carried out on existing facilities in the next fiscal year.

Pakistan Sports Board’s Director Federations Azam Dar told ‘The News’ that in the latest verbal communiqué, the Ministry of Inter-Provincial Coordination has indicated initiating the schemes that would be besides the ones which are already in operation.

“Though this is only verbal so far, we have been asked by the concerned authority to forward details of new sports development schemes worth Rs2 billion. We will start working on these lines from the next working day,” Dar said.It was feared that there would be no new sports development project in the coming fiscal year as the earlier proposed summary was rejected altogether.

“Since it is the duty of the centre to develop sports infrastructure around the country, we have proposed new development projects for the coming financial year. However, all these schemes were earlier rejected altogether by the concerned authority,” a source in the IPC Ministry said. “Now we have got a ray of hope as we were communicated on Friday to forward new sports development projects worth Rs2 billion.”

Earlier, the Planning Commission had approved Rs500 million for upgradation and renovation of existing facilities at the Pakistan Sports Complex. “This is all we got initially. But now we are hopeful of getting new schemes.”

Besides the four provinces, the ministry has proposed sports development projects for Gilgit-Baltistan also.It has been learnt that the Planning Commission has also approved Rs2.4 billion to continue work on schemes initiated two-three years ago.

The major chuck has again been diverted to the Narowal Sports Complex that has already eaten up over Rs2 billion while one billion more is expected from the federal government in the coming years.

The Planning Commission has approved Rs467.01 million for the Narowal project in the next financial year. Another Rs70.467 million has been approved for establishment of a mechanical lab in the Pakistan Sports Complex in Islamabad. The project that was initiated in 2013 will consume Rs113.555 million in total.

Seventy-five million rupees have been earmarked for the National Games (Quaid-i-Azam Games) in 2018-19. Rs177 million more will be released for laying hockey turfs in Gilgit and Swat. Another Rs323.153 million will be released this year for the already approved schemes of replacing artificial hockey turfs at Islamabad, Faisalabad, Wah Cantt, Peshawar, Quetta and Abbottabad. Last year a total sum of Rs523.163 million was earmarked for these projects from which Rs323.153 million will be released in the coming fiscal year.

Rs848.450 million from the total amount of Rs2,878 million that was allocated last year under the head of development of infrastructure will also be released. Construction of residential flats for sports staff in Karachi will get Rs28.718 million this year. The construction of these flats was approved in 2006.