SAHIWAL: The completion of the nine-lane synthetic athletics track (SAT) at the Zafar Ali Stadium has been in administrative limbo for the last four months.

Different stakeholders shift blame on one another for the delays.

Moosa Qureshi, the Lahore-based contractor of the project, told Dawn that the track had been completed and it would be handed over to the sports department after technical committee evaluation.

Whereas, Project Management Unit (PMU) divisional focal person Arsalan said that multiple written requests had been made to relevant authorities but no one had stepped forward to take charge of the handover process.

District Sports Officer Amir, the designated client and custodian of the track, said no official evaluation report or inventory list had been shared by the PMU or the Punjab Sports Board (PSB).

“Without a documented scope of work, how can we assess what’s complete or what’s missing,” he asked.

PSB Deputy Director Tariq Khanzada said the PMU was the executing body and it was responsible for its completion.

Experts had pointed out serious structural and functional deficiencies in the track, including inaccurate and faulty lane measurements, flawed drainage system causing water stagnation beneath the 800-meter track, absence of Dhaka grass in the central field, non-functional electricity connection and a missing 100kv transformer, incomplete watering system, unbuilt servant quarters and absence of sports equipment required for national athletics events or practice.

Sources disclosed to Dawn, on the condition of anonymity, that while the project’s scope had mandated certification of the track from a representative of World Athletics Association accredited official before handover but no such arrangement was made either by the PMU or the contractor.

Sources alleged that no stakeholder wanted an international inspection, fearing exposure of technical flaws in this huge public project.

Mr Qureshi claimed that TWA’s local representatives, coach Salman Butt and Punjab Athletics Federation President Arshad Nadeem, would issue clearance certificate. He also confirmed that no certificate had been received so far. However, Mr Butt said he neither had the authority nor anything to do with the SAT.

The project was conceived in 2020 but funds were allocated in 2021, while the budget swelled from the initial Rs214 million to Rs266 million during the actualisation process of its PC-1. The PSB’s 2024–25 ADP report said that Rs254 million had been spent on the project till June 2024.

Moreover, the track was used for the summer sports camp, however, sources said that various track equipment needed for the functioning of the facility had not been purchased. The contractor, on the other hand, said the procurement of the equipment was not part of their contractual obligations. Meanwhile, local officials claimed the track was used to test its strength, although no document could be shared to prove this claim.

Sources claimed the contractor had abandoned the site four months ago, leaving only a caretaker at an open pavilion. Furthermore, sources said that the facility had not been formally handed over and was without equipment, rendering it unusable for athletes.

Published in Dawn, July 6th, 2025