After more than a decade: Multipurpose sports complex at PSB centre completed

KARACHI: After a long wait of more than a decade, the multi-purpose sports complex at PSB-owned coaching centre in Karachi has been completed. The final five percent development work which was stopped time and again has now been completed, ‘The News’ has learnt.

The building of the project has been painted, doors and windows have been installed, wooden flooring has been completed, water connection has been provided and electric wiring work is also complete, sources connected to the development work told ‘The News’.

It is pertinent to mention here that the project has been completed amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. It is one of the best sport projects as far as its utility is concerned because it has been designed primarily for boxing but it has been designed in such a way that training and competitions of other indoor sports can also be held.

The competitions of basketball, table tennis, volleyball, and snooker can easily be organised in its vast hall. It has seating capacity for as many as 2500 spectators. The project is a result of the efforts of great sports organiser Professor Anwer Chaudhry (late), former AIBA chief, who requested the former president of Pakistan General Pervaiz Musharraf for the development of this project in 2005.

The former president directed the officials concerned to build a state-of-the-art project. It was started in 2005 and by the end of 2008, ninety percent of the work was completed. But after that it was delayed time and again as PSB authorities in Islamabad failed to pay attention to its completion.

Current IPC minister Dr Fehmida Mirza took notice of the delay in the completion of the project and directed the officials concerned to complete it at the earliest. Sources, however, mentioned that there is still one hurdle and that is the power supply for the project.

How and when the ministry of IPC and lazy officials of PSB resolve this problem is a big question, they said. The sports project cannot be operationalised till the power supply is ensured. It may be noted that the project is to be centrally air-conditioned.

When this scribe asked PSB officials when the power supply would be provided they could not give a satisfactory answer. They were also unable to tell which department’s responsibility it was to manage the power supply.