PESHAWAR, Jan 21: Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) has started laying polygrass turf at the Lala Ayub Hockey Stadium at the cost of Rs7million, officials said.

President Peshawar District Hockey Association, Shariq Khan, told Dawn on Wednesday that experts had started laying of the turf in December last, which would be completed by end of March. Imported from Germany, the turf would enliven the activities of hockey in this part of the country, because the game was incomplete without artificial surface, said Shariq.

After completion of the laying process, the technical experts under the supervision of the PHF, would install watering system, prepare its surface and sew the pieces together, he elaborated.

The synthetic turf, which had been laid at the stadium in1987had long outlived its life span of 10-years and the stadium body needed turf. "Sanction has been accorded for six turfs by the former president about six years ago at different stadiums in the country, but owing to the efforts of the Gen Aziz Khan, president of the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) and its secretary Brig (reted) Musarratullah Khan, the turfs have finally been acquired", he said.

He praised prime minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali, who is patron-in-chief of the PHF for his immense interest in acquiring turfs. Six turfs have been imported from Germany at the cost of about Rs40million,two of which had already been installed at Karachi and Gujra, whereas the rest of the four were being laid at Faisalabad, Peshawar, Abbottabad and Islamabad

Non-existence of turf had adversely been affecting the hockey activities, which can be judged from the fact that there had been no international event since Pakistan played against its arch rival India a match way back in 1998.

In 2001, a preliminary round of the Junior National hockey championship was played. However, Shariq, said that the Peshawar will again become hub of the international as well as national activities after completion of laying of the turf, because Peshawar had been the natural producer of hockey players of international repute.

Mr Khan, said that the NWFP Directorate of Sports was in the process of preparing a cover for the turf, which will protect it. Similarly, the directorate is considering installation ofa special automatic water system to prolong its life and make players feel more comfortable while playing on it.

He said that other hockey playing districts, such as Mardan, Bannu, Abbottabad and Dera Ismail Khan also needed turfs. He said that the NWFP produced international players, like late Qazi Muhib, Rashid Junior, Brig Hameedi, Musadiq Aliand Saeed Khan and provision of more turfs to the NWFP could prove of paramount importance for the talent hunt in the game which happens to be the national game of the country.