HCP tenants asked to increase rent

KARACHI: Pakistan Army authorities have directed around 65 tenants of Hockey Club of Pakistan (HCP) to make new agreements and increase their rent according to market rates of the locality, ‘The News’ has learnt.
A number of tenants are running businesses for a long time but have not increased the rent.
Informed sources said that a high-level military officer visited the HCP a few days back and called all the tenants at HCP office and asked them to have new agreements of the offices, shops, godowns which they are using with increased rents.
The sources said that the officer also asked the HCP officials to hand over the list and details of the tenants.
The small and big shops, offices and godowns are the only source of income of PHF, which is facing financial crisis.
The sources said that HCP administration had been directed by the PHF high-ups to cooperate with the Army officials.
It is not an easy task for PHF to increase the rents because most tenants have connections with influential people. Since HCP is located in the jurisdiction of a cantonment area (the land for HCP was given to PHF on lease by the cantonment), Army can help PHF get increased rents.
Meanwhile, the installation of a blue turf at HCP is likely to be started next month as the contract for it has been given to a private contractor who has vast experience in laying synthetic turfs.
Sindh government is bearing all the expenses of the installation of the blue turf. The blue turf will be imported from Holland.
The sources said that Sindh government works department engineers visited HCP a few days back to see the requirements of the development work. More than 1000 seats will be added to spectators’ area.