KARACHI: The Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) is claiming to have achieved a herculean activity of renewing the lease of the Abdul Sattar Edhi Hockey Stadium, previously generally known as the Hockey Membership of Pakistan (HCP), courtesy Military Chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa, however the irony is that the 30-year lease will expire in 2023.
The stadium, which comes below the Karachi Cantonment Board (KCB), was constructed and leased to the PHF in 1963 for 30 years that expired in 1993. This lease was renewed for one more 30 years (1993-2023) just lately.
Since then successive PHF hierarchies have made efforts to get the lease renewed however to no avail. Nonetheless, an formidable plan to demolish and reconstruct the historic venue has now been finalised and the work on this regard is predicted to start out someday subsequent month.
It’s pertinent to say that the stadium which has hosted top-class worldwide hockey occasions moreover two Nationwide Video games over time, has been declared as harmful — attributable to its weak construction — by Karachi Cantonment Board (KCB) and the Sindh Constructing Management Authority (SBCA).
The stadium homes 62 tenants who’ve occupied 139 places of work and retailers within the premises.
Possible completion of venue’s reconstruction in 2023 to coincide with expiry of recent lease
A gathering of the representatives of tenants affiliation and the PHF was held on Friday to debate an amicable evacuation of the previous’s belongings from their places of work and retailers.
“It was agreed that the incumbent tenants will be given preference after the reconstruction of the stadium,” director administration of PHF camp workplace Mohammad Junaid instructed Daybreak.
The brand new state-of-the-art design has been ready by the Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) whereas the Sindh authorities has allotted an infinite fund of Rs1500 million and has launched Rs850 million for the mission that might be accomplished inside one-and-a-half years, Junaid added.
Unusually, the completion of the reconstruction, which is able to scale back the present seating capability of the stadium from 25,000 to 15,000, will coincide with the expiry of the renewed lease.
Based on Junaid, the turf might be rolled by engineers earlier than the demolition of the stadium’s current construction.
Apart from the stadium, he additional stated, the PHF additionally possesses the lease of automobile parking that was given to the Nationwide Institute of Cardiovascular Ailments by his predecessor.
It might be talked about right here that two extra grounds adjoining to the stadium that have been additionally a part of the unique lease (1963-1993) at the moment are within the possession of the KCB which has constructed residential residences for armed forces personnel.
Junaid, who assumed cost on March 1 this yr, lamented the PHF has suffered big losses attributable to delay in funds by the occupants as a few of them have sub-let their retailers. “After strenuous efforts I have been able to recover Rs14 million [outstanding] dues so far,” he added.
The PHF official stated the PHF camp workplace might be quickly shifted to the adjoining gamers hostel until the completion of the mission.
In the meantime, in response to the KCB, a number of conferences have taken place within the final decade pertaining to the matter and it was resolved that the PHF ought to hire out places of work to company sector solely after getting safety clearance from Station Headquarter, Karachi as the realm comes below safety zone.
Throughout the conferences it was additionally determined that the parking facility of the stadium might be used strictly for parking objective solely. Sadly, the power was misused for a few years for holding marriage ceremonies.
Revealed in Daybreak, August 17th, 2021
