HYDERABAD, Feb 5 The district government is seriously thinking in terms of taking back control of the Niaz Stadium which was given to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on a 30-year lease as the board has not been able to abide by its commitments made in the MoU, signed with district government in July 2007.
Sindh Sports Minister Dr Mohammad Ali Shah is reported to have intervened in the matter between PCB chief Ijaz Butt and District Nazim Kanwar Naveed Jamil and has promised the latter that he would be getting some reply from the PCB boss by Friday.
Kanwar Naveed is reported to be under tremendous pressure from local cricket circles to talk to the PCB straight away as it seemed to be backtracking on MoU. That's why he had spoken to Karachi-based Sindh Sports Minister.
“We are compelled to ponder as to why we should not take over the ground's control from PCB which seems to be least interested in developing it at par with other stadia of the country,” said District Nazim while talking to Dawn on Thursday. He confirmed that he had earlier spoken to Sindh Sports Minister, who sought time to get back with a reply from the PCB chief by Feb 6.
The PCB seemed to be committing breach of MoU by not paying the stadium's Rs50,000 token annual rent to district. It has perhaps forgotten the ground after getting it on lease from district government.
Not only this but in violation of MoU's clause board's HR department sacked ground's administrative officer, Hafeez ur Rehman on the pretext of redundancy.
Rehman and nine lower grade regular employees of Taluka Municipal Administration (TMA) Qasimabad were on deputation in PCB. Only Rehman is sacked on account of redundancy. The district nazim has written to the PCB in this respect, reminding the board of these serious breaches of MoU.
One and a half year has lapsed yet the board hasn't launched development work although some spade work was done when Dr. Nasim Ashraf, who was instrumental in taking over ground's control, was at the helm but ever-since Ijaz Butt has taken over, one doesn't hear anything about development.
“Its really disappointing to see that PCB hasn't fulfilled a single promise made to us. It has neither established a cricket academy nor started any development work at the stadium.”
“I am under pressure from cricket circles to take back control of our ground”, Jamil said.