It seems the ‘virus’ in the Punjab Sports Board of getting total control over sports infrastructure to use it on personal liking and disliking has also been transferred to the Punjab Horticulture Authority (PHA).

The PSB has refused many a time to give its stadium to different national sports federations even for international and national events to assert its total control, ignoring the fact that these are built through public money and are the state’s property.

Following in PSB’s footsteps, the PHA has also adopted the same attitude, as after passing of eight months, it has failed to hand over the Model Town’s women cricket ground to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

To the surprise of everyone, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif had announced handing over of the women cricket ground to the PCB after distributing prizes among winners of a national cricket tournament at the Gadhafi Stadium last year. But the ground has still not been handed over to the PCB.

Reports are that both the PHA and the PSB want to incorporate such clauses in the agreement with the PCB which allow them to have control over the ground despite the fact that all expenditures relating to its maintenance will be borne by the PCB.

On the other hand, the PCB wants to become a sole authority since it will bear huge expenditures of the ground.

In his last tenure, Shahbaz Sharif had taken a positive decision under which 15 grounds of Lahore were renovated and developed and handed over to the Lahore City Cricket Association (LCCA). But the women’s ground was not taken over by the LCCA because it was just a burden on its exchequer.

Since women are not playing cricket in large number, it is not easy to generate sufficient funds to maintain such grounds. The estimated budget to maintain a cricket ground is around Rs100,000 per month.

As grounds of the Kinnaird College and Lahore College for Women University are enough to hold women cricket, the Model Town ground has lost attraction for them.

A comprehensive policy is the need of the hour to discourage the lust for ‘total control’ of sports infrastructure in Punjab.

Last week two rival bodies of the Pakistan Cycling Federation (PCF) held their separate national championships in Lahore. First, the Munawar Baseer’s body held the national event and then the Khawaja Idris group held it at the country’s lone velodrome in Lahore.

Surprisingly, almost same departments participated in both championships which has no precedent in the past. Anyhow, a good number of national cyclists remained in the city to enjoy back-to-back events.

But reports are that the Munawar Baseer group is considering an option to ban those cyclists who took part in the event of its rival body.

The condition of velodrome is pathetic and too dangerous to hold any competition. Both warring groups should sort out their differences for the sake of the game and instead work jointly to improve facilities at the lone velodrome of the country.

A polo team from Chile is touring the city to play a three-match series against different teams of the Lahore Polo Club in connection with the Independence Day of Pakistan.

The visitors have already taken an unbeatable lead of 2-0 in the series by beating Lahore Blues and Whites. Six foreign polo players, mainly from Argentina, also stayed in Lahore till the end of the National Polo Championship early this month.

The LPC has regularly been inviting foreign players for the polo competition in Lahore during its calendar year of activities.