Funds allocated for PSB centre project

KARACHI: A decade-old project at Pakistan Sports Board’s (PSB) centre in Karachi is expected to be completed in near future as funds have been allocated for it in 2019-20 budget.

The budget documents show Rs8.916 million has been allocated for the boxing gymnasium at the PSB centre.

So far no practical work has been started at the centre but sources in the PSB said that the process needed for starting the development work has been started. It is pertinent to mention here that the multi-purpose sports complex at PSB’s centre has been delayed for more than a decade.

Sources said that the sports complex development work is expected to be started in a couple of months as the award of contract takes some time. The federal minister for IPC Fahmida Mirza has taken notice of the delay in the project and directed the officials concerned to complete it as soon as possible.

Officials of PSB visited the site and informed the local administration that PSB authorities have decided to complete the remaining work at the centre as soon as possible. The project was conceived by former chief of AIBA late Prof Anwer Chaudhary. He requested the then president General Pervaiz Musharraf to launch this project.

The tartan track at the centre is also more than 20 years old and needs to be replaced immediately. But the sources in PSB did not confirm that the track would be replaced in the current financial year.

The work at the hostel which is already 90 percent done would also be completed, the sources said. The residential units for the staff was also part of the project but not a single brick has been put up in that respect. It is being hoped that this time this project would also be completed.