Tartan track laid in Hyderabad to be opened soon

KARACHI: A new tartan track has been laid in Hyderabad and work for laying on other in Mirpurkhas has started, ‘The News’ has learnt.

The development work at Hyderabad’s tartan track is nearing completion and final touches are being given to the project, sources in Sindh Sports Board said. They said that Sindh government would soon announce the date of its inauguration. The laying of a new tartan track was a longstanding demand of athletes of the province.

The one at Pakistan Sports Board’s (PSB) Karachi centre is 20 years old. Its replacement has been due for around 10 years, but the officials concerned have not bothered to do anything about it. The previous two governments put the Karachi tartan track issue in cold storage.

It may be noted here that the coaching centre in Karachi earns more than Rs4 million by renting its facilities to private education institutions for their sports activities. The Sindh government has decided to spread sports facilities in all parts of the province. Thus, it decided to lay two new tracks, which would benefit a large number of athletes of the province.

A source said that Sindh government was interested in laying a tartan track in Karachi as well. It was looking for a suitable place for this, he added. The athletics fraternity in the province had been demanding for many years the installation of tartan tracks.

Officials said that Hyderabad’s tartan track is blue. It is being laid at a public school. Pavilion, washrooms and other facilities have already been established. The place can accommodate as many as 3000 spectators. The capacity can be increased according to the requirements, a source mentioned.

The second track, which is red, is being laid at Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Sports Complex in Mirpurkhas. The sources said that all national-level athletics competitions, including the National Athletics Championships, could be organised at the two new tartan tracks.

They further said that the Hyderabad tartan track surrounds a football turf. The athletics fraternity in Karachi expressed delight at the installation of tracks in two cities of Sindh and appealed to the Sindh government to consider laying one in Karachi as well.