LAHORE: The Punjab government has decided to develop the lands lying unutilised for a long time into grounds to provide healthy recreational facilities to the youth.

Reviewing progress on the project, the meeting presided over by the chief secretary here on Friday at the Civil Secretariat decided these grounds will be developed under the Green Sports Project so that recreational facilities could be provided with minimum expenditures.

The chief secretary was told that government lands had been identified in 100 tehsils in the first phase; these pieces of land, comprising one to two acres, were situated near populated areas and water channels. Rs127 million will be required to develop 100 grounds situated in different tehsils of the province.

The chief secretary directed that fences should be erected around these grounds to stop their commercial utilisation. The meeting decided that tehsil-level committees would be set up under the assistant commissioners concerned, and include representatives of the Parks and Horticulture Authority, sports and other line departments, as well as elected representatives.

He further directed that the first model ground should be established at Kot Radha Kishan so that it could be replicated in other tehsils. The meeting further decided that lands would remain in the control of the departments that occupied them.

Secretaries of finance, sports, agriculture and auqaf departments and other senior officials attended the meeting.

Published in Dawn, February 15th, 2020