Lack of coordination among departments destroying sports projects

KARACHI: Due to the lack of communication between the sports department and the engineering wing of Sindh government, a number of sports projects are not being utilised properly, a survey conducted by ‘The News’ has revealed

The engineering department has laid several artificial turfs in various cities of Sindh and a new tartan track in Hyderabad. But on the other hand, Karachi, the biggest city of the province, remains without a tartan track. Landhi sports complex, Baldia Town sports complex, and several other projects have been completed but due to the wrong policies of the authorities the sportspeople are unable to use the facilities, said organisers of various sports.

The Sindh Sports Board (SSB), Sindh Olympic Association (SOA), sports associations and Sindh government’s high officials are responsible for this messy situation.

The organisers said that the engineering wing of Sindh government worked under the same ministry as sports and youth affairs but the high officials of engineering department did not bother to take SSB, SOA and associations into confidence to adopt a proper strategy for the projects which have been completed after expenditure of tens of millions of rupees.

It is pertinent to note that last month the newly-laid tartan track in Hyderabad at a public school, which has yet not been inaugurated, was used by two high-level officers of Hyderabad city administration.

They had been invited by the education department for School Games. The track is being considered a blessing in Sindh as there is no other track in the entire province.

Landhi Sports Complex in Karachi was inaugurated by a minister in 2015, but it is still not operational. Many associations don’t know that a wonderful sports paradise has been established. There has been no activity for four years at the complex which has facilities for rifle shooting, swimming, and all indoor games.

The government spent Rs120 million on the completion of the project, but due to lack of coordination, the facilities are gathering dust, sources said.

A local hockey player said around a dozen turfs have been laid in Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkur, Khairpur, Badin, Nawabshah, and other cities, but there is not a single player from Sindh in Pakistan’s senior or junior teams or even in national training camps.

A group of athletes demanded that Sindh chief minister Murad Ali Shah inaugurate Hyderabad’s tartan track as soon as possible and establish a committee comprising Sindh officials, athletic association representative, Hyderabad city administration, education department, and national-level former athletes to properly use and maintain the track.