November 25, 2001	Sunday	Ramazan 9, 1422

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PESHAWAR, Nov 24: The up-gradation work on Peshawar Sports Complex Swimming pool is in doldrums as the NWFP Sports Board is still indecisive to approve the PC-1 of the project paving way for its execution.

Sources in City Municipal Development Department (CMDD) informed Dawn Saturday that despite the availability of initial funds the sports board officials have yet to decide the status of the Peshawar Sports Complex swimming pool whether to make it of international or national standard.

The execution of the project has been in the lurch for the last two years due mainly to shortage of funds at the first instance and lately due to indecisiveness on the part of the NWFP Sports Board, according to official sources.

“If the sports board officials do not take interest in the project, then what can we do”, remarked an official of the CMDD, saying that more than one dozen PC-1 were designed, but the board officials could not select one to execute work on the much delayed project.

Constructed at a cost of Rs 7.4 million and equipped with all basic facilities, the NWFP Sports Board closed down the open-air swimming pool some two years back for renovation and up-gradation work to hold international swimming competitions  in  the provincial metropolis.

The delay in up-gradation and renovation work of the swimming pool is causing great disappointment for the swimmers of the provincial capital, while it has been depriving the Frontier province to host swimming events for the last two years.

Initially, the sources said the NWFP Sports Board estimated RS 7 million for the renovation of the swimming pool, but later the board proposed to up-grade the standard of the swimming pool to hold international level swimming competition in the city. For this purpose, the official sources said, the Sports Board officials requested the provincial government to provide Rs 13 million for the project.

However, the provincial government failed to allocate the required amount for the up-gradation work of the swimming pool, which further delayed the project.

The PMDD officials said that they took over the project from the defunct Peshawar Development Authority (PDA) and had prepared PC-1 for the same, but due to procedural complications and confusion as a result of the recently introduced local government system the project got further delayed.

The source said that PMDD had allocated Rs 7 million for the renovation and up-gradation work while the summary had been moved to the governor to release additional amount for the scheme. But the Sports Board officials were seemed reluctant to start work on the project, he added.