FAISALABAD: Iqbal Stadium has hosted a number of international cricket matches in the past. But like other such venues in the country, it is also waiting to host international events again and draw spectators.

But in the meanwhile, the district administration is trying to attract attention towards the stadium by changing its exterior and fixing red tiles on it.

The administration has also directed shopkeepers in the stadium to recreate their structures with red tiles to make them all look similar. Earlier, the shopkeepers had put up various boards outside their shops that also disfigured the stadium.

A district government officer said District Coordination Officer (DCO) Noorul Amin Mengal had taken up the stadium’s beautification issue and intended to make it look like Lahore’s Fortress Stadium.

He said two slip roads of the stadium had also been widened to avoid traffic jams. He said one of the roads adjacent to a ‘fun land’ was almost complete and construction work on the other would start soon.

The DCO told Dawn the stadium’s exterior had been built in the early ‘80s and shopkeepers had also made some changes to it.

He said Rs30 million was being spent on roads leading to the stadium as well as a parking lot for 200 cars. He said further Rs15 million had been spent by almost 100 shopkeepers from their own resources. He said entry and exit gates of the stadium had also been redesigned and were being constructed.

Besides, the DCO said some 15 shops selling flowers and snacks would also be set up in the next two months.