NED university to have hockey turf, floodlit cricket stadium soon

KARACHI: The NED University is going to have an astro turf for its hockey ground and a floodlights cricket stadium where first-class contests will be organised, 'The News' learnt on Monday.

Last year, a red coloured tartan track for athletics, a synthetic football turf for football stadium, an indoor gymnasium, a tennis court were developed, but due to the Covid-19 these projects could not be officially inaugurated but some university level competitions were organised there.

NED vice chancellor Dr Sarosh Hashmat Lodhi, when contacted, confirmed that NED was going to have these sports facilities. He said the cricket ground construction was nearing completion and the installation of towers of floodlights was in the final stage.

He said the cricket stadium would be completed in two months time. The hockey turf would take a few months as it would be imported. “When I was appointed the VC of NED University, I had a plan from day one that I would upgrade the existing sports facilities so that the students and other youngsters could have opportunities to express themselves in a positive manner," he said.

The NED VC said that his vision could not have been materialised without the financial assistance of Sindh CM Murad Ali Shah. It is pertinent to mention here that the CM is a graduate of NED University.

The VC said that Murad was a great sports lover and understood the importance of sports infrastructure. “When we discussed the idea with him, he gave us full support. Thus, we did not have to face any bureaucratic hurdles. Today our sports project is in the final stages,” he added.

The NED VC was hopeful that with Covid-19 coming under control, these sports facilities would be used in near future. He added that NED University would be a sports paradise soon with a tartan track, a synthetic football turf, a cricket stadium, a hockey ground, a tennis court, and an indoor gymnasium with separate facilities for girls and boys. Lodhi said NED wanted that maximum number of sports competitions be organised at its sports facilities so that talented sportsmen and sportswomen could be produced through NED.