PESHAWAR, Nov 25: The improvement works on the Peshawar sports complex swimming pool for a major upgrade are is in the doldrums as the NWFP sports board is still undecided about the PC-1 of the project.

Sources in the City Municipal Development Department (CMDD) informed Dawn here on Saturday that despite the availability of funds the sports board has yet to decide on the status of the swimming pool - whether to raise it to the level of an international facility or not.

The project had been pending execution for two years due to the shortage of funds and indecisiveness on the part of the NWFP sports board, according to official sources.

Constructed at a cost of Rs7.4 million and equipped with basic facilities, the NWFP sports board closed down the open-air swimming pool some two years back for the much-needed renovation and improvement work estimated to cost Rs7 million.

The official sources said that the sports board officials requested the provincial government to provide Rs13 million for the project.

But the government failed to allocate the required amount, which resulted in more delays.

The PMDD officials said that they took over the project from the defunct Peshawar Development Authority (PDA) and had prepared the PC-1 for it, but due to procedural complications and introduction of the local government system also delayed the project.