Since 2020, when they were shut down to stop the spread of Covid-19, none of the major facilities at Pakistan Sports Complex (PSC) have been in use.
The Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) relied heavily on the proceeds from many of its main sports facilities. There were facilities for lawn tennis, squash, badminton, swimming, and swimming.
Additionally, federal financing for the PSB has been substantially reduced, which will further postpone the restoration of the sports facilities.
Sports facilities at the PSC were available to the general public, including professionals, amateurs, and senior citizens, with a regulated membership fee compared to the exclusive clubs that provide such amenities solely to their members.
The PSB’s administration reopened the lawn tennis courts and gym when the government lifted the lockdown and the exclusive clubs reopened their sporting facilities, but the rest of the PSB remained closed so that maintenance and repairs could be made.
Safi Ahsan, 78, has been a pool member and amateur swimmer since 1992. Doctors have recommended that he swim as a form of exercise as he has a limp and is unable to walk or undertake fitness exercises. However, he said that his health has deteriorated since March 2020, when he lost access to the pool.
Sports complex had million of rupees as investment
Interestingly, millions of rupees were spent on the repair and maintenance work, which is still ongoing, while the PSB’s financial and administrative concerns were pending before the Islamabad High Court (IHC).
In 2020, the PSB workers union filed a petition with the IHC challenging PWD’s execution of multimillion-rupee development projects.
According to the petition, much of the money was used to fix up roads instead of keeping up the sporting facilities.
The petition was decided by IHC Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani, who called the transfer of monies to PWD unconstitutional and demanded that any losses be recouped from the relevant officials.
The PSB has lodged an appeal with the court against the IHC’s ruling, and the case is still ongoing.
According to sources close to the PSB administration, no one in the organization was investigated after the court orders were issued. Additionally, the government deputized a member of the PWD to serve as the executive engineer.
They claimed that the executive engineer had rehired the same companies that PWD had used to carry out the development work that had been the subject of the IHC’s ruling.
As the PSB was nearing completion of the badminton courts and swimming pool, the federal government informed them that they had slashed spending on the Sports Complex by around 50% due to the continuous financial crunch.
As a result, progress has delayed because the PSB cannot pay contractors their overdue balances in a timely manner.
When asked, PSB Director General Ibrar Ahmed confirmed that repairs and maintenance could be started even while the facility was under lockdown. He explained that he had taken over the office late last year and had been working hard ever since to get it back up and running as fast as possible.
He explained that the PSB has to raise its members’ fees to fix its budget.
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