KARACHI: The proposed plan pertaining to allocation of 5,000 acres of land for development of sports city near education city in the outskirts of the metropolis seems to have been shelved, it emerged on Wednesday.

The proposal, which was initiated a couple of years back and was also debated in some of the Sindh cabinet meetings, has failed to see the light of the day.

“Yes it was a provincial cabinet decision mooted in 2005 but no headway has been made yet,” Karachi Commissioner, Shoaib Ahmad Siddiqui, confirmed to Dawn.

Answering queries, he said while serving as provincial secretary for sports and youth affairs he had attended couple of meetings also in this regard.

He cited lack of identification of land by the board of revenue as one of the possible factors for inordinate delay of the proposed project.

The commissioner, who has a passion for sports, agreed that sports city was badly needed for the future of our youth. “Long and short term measures should go simultaneously and are better in the larger interest of the city,” he added.

Shoaib Siddiqui was of the opinion that with some famous housing projects coming up fast in the outskirts, it would be wise to allot land for the sports city which would help in staging mega events.

A helipad and a five-star hotel can also be built around that will help foreign teams to come and compete, he suggested.

The commissioner added that when launched, it would generate socio-economic activity which is the hallmark of public-friendly policy of the provincial government.

The proposal envisaged that sports and games are considered to be an important potential of a healthy nation which give the country an accelerated elevation and prestige in the community of nations.

It says Pakistan has achieved marked success in cricket, hockey, squash, snooker, boxing and wrestling among others at the international level which reflects its potential for further development.

The government, it says, has decided to establish an education city on the link road between national highway and super highway.

With the development of urban areas, it becomes difficult to acquire proper area of land for sports facilities, unless a proper planning is made and ample land is reserved for sports. It is high time to take a bold decision and acquire at least 5,000 acres of land exclusively for the development of sports city, it suggested.

It goes on saying that creation of sports city will help facilitate of hosting events including the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Games in future.

It is pertinent to mention that Pakistan has played host to the two SAARC Games in the past in 1989 and 2004 – both in Islamabad.

It adds: “Once the land has been earmarked and proper master plan and feasibility is prepared by planners for creation of a sports city, it would be possible to attract international donors, sports promoters and private sectors to develop facilities and establish a relatively cheaper and attractive sports centre for hosting international events”.

The creation of sports city will also generate a large commercial activity and employment in the healthy environment.

Published in Dawn, September 11th, 2014