SAHIWAL: A sports gymnasium in Pakpattan was supposed to be completed in January 2014 with Rs98.5 million. However, 15 months have passed but the building is not complete, although its budget was revised.

The initial cost was Rs65.8 million but was later increased to Rs98.5 million due to addition of a synthetic floor instead of wooden for indoor sports.

The Punjab government through the provincial buildings department sanctioned Rs65.8 million for the establishment of District Sports Gymnasium on one acre in Pakpattan.

The amount was allocated during 2009 and the facility was supposed to be completed before Jan 27, 2011. Later, the grant was revised and its completion date extended for three years to 2014.

The gymnasium’s completion was the sole responsibility of the buildings department that contracted it out to Ali Shah Contractor of Arifwala. According to the plan, the project had to be completed in 2014. So far, only the first phase of the gymnasium was complete.

District Sports Officer Faisal Imran confirmed that the gymnasium was not complete.

“The completion of gymnasium building and later its transferring to the district sports department is the responsibility of the buildings department. They had to finish the job within 2014,” he added.

While the gymnasium building. was not complete, the contractor was doing nothing either. A buildings department employee informed Dawn over anonymity that construction work had been stopped for eight months. According to rules, the contractor was to be penalised or blacklisted, but nothing was done.

Buildings Department Deputy District Officer Iqbal Doger claimed the delay was due to a change in the gymnasium’s design from inside. He said he hoped the work would be completed by December.

hanged: A double murder convict was executed at the central jail on Tuesday morning.

Jaffar alias Kali of Depalpur had killed Khalil and his daughter Sadia over a land dispute in 1997. Okara Saddar police had registered a double murder case on the complaint of Khalil’s son Ahmed.

Jail Superintendent Gulzar Butt told this correspondent that Jaffar was scheduled to be hanged on March 25. But just a few hours before the execution, Civil Judge Rizwan Hanif informed the prison authorities that an agreement had been reached between Ahmed and Jaffer’s family.

He said later Jaffar’s family did not fulfil conditions of the agreement as a result the Okara district and sessions judge re-issued his death warrant.

Dawn learnt that a cheque worth Rs800,000 was dishonoured by the bank.

Published in Dawn, April 8th, 2015

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