Rs 179 million multipurpose sports stadium for Taxila

The Ministry of Sports will construct a multipurpose sports stadium in Taxila city, which will be completed in two years at a cost of Rs 179 million. According to official sources the Central Development Working Party has already approved this project with the aim to providing sports facilities to the inhabitant of Taxila city.
According to details, the facilities at the stadium consist of a pavilion, a grass football ground, and an eight-lane athletics track. Sources said that the grassy hockey ground, two basketball courts, two volleyball courts, one tennis court, a multipurpose hall and allied facilities are also included in the project.
They said that the original project, having the same scope, excluding the cost of land, was approved at a cost of Rs 32.018 million in the first months of 2007, but controversy generated over the land required for the stadium.
In this regard, Sports Ministry sources said that a piece of land had to be provided by the State Engineering Corporation (SEC), as directed by Prime Minister Secretariat, but later on the SEC refused to provide land on lease and asked for cost because of its weak financial position.
They said that this contention was agreed to by the Prime Minister Secretariat and it directed that land be sold to the Ministry of Sport at a cost of Rs 1.2 million per kanal. They said that the land provided for the stadium is about 122 kanal, costing Rs 146.34 million, and this amount would be given to the SEC from the approved funds for the project to purchase the land.
It is pertinent to note that the government has so far completed and upgraded 48 stadiums in different cities of all the four provinces during 2006-07 with the prime objective to enhance sports activities in various urban centres at par with international standards.
They also talked about the ongoing 13 projects, which include the boxing gymnasiums at Islamabad, Lahore, Peshawar, Quetta and Karachi, which will cost Rs 200 million and will be completed by the end of this year.
They said that other projects of building sports stadium are at Badin and Thatta, that will cost Rs 54 million and will be completed by the end of this years. There are also projects to construct synthetic hockey turf at Khushab and Rawalakot which are in progress and will cost Rs 60 million.
They said that sports complexes construction is also underway in Mardan and Sialkot, which will cost Rs 60 million and will be completed in 2008. Sources said that conversion of old terminal building into world class sports complex at Lahore is also in progress that will cost Rs 124 million. They said that sports stadium construction is also going on in Nowshera, NWFP, which will cost Rs 30 million and will be completed in 2008.