Youth development: CM okays provision of sports facilities

Construction of sports complexes to start from Lahore

LAHORE: Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif on Tuesday approved a comprehensive programme for provision of modern sports facilities to the youth in cities across the province.

Addressing the meeting, the chief minister said that sports played an important role in establishing a healthy society. He said extremism could be curbed effectively by promoting sporting activities. He said government would implement a comprehensive project for promotion of sports among the youth. He said that under the programme playgrounds would be established in cities across the province.

Giving his approval for the programme, the chief minister said that in the first phase of construction of sports complexes should be undertaken in Lahore. He said gradually the programme should be expanded to other cities of the province.

He said these complexes should be equipped with facilities for both outdoor and indoor sports like swimming, badminton, tennis and volleyball.

He said the project was of vital importance and should be executed without any delay. He said where land was available for the purpose construction of sports complexes should be started immediately.

Sharif said high standards of transparency should be ensured in the implementation of the project.

He said the provincial government was committed to spending as much for youth development as possible. He urged the youngsters to actively participate in sports and other positive activities.

The Lahore division commissioner, the Lahore Development Authority director general, the Lahore DCO, the Punjab Sports Board director general and the Infrastructure Development Authority chief executive officer also attended the meeting.

Sharif thanks Chinese government 

Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Tuesday thanked the Chinese government for transferring Rs33 billion to Pakistan to fund the Orange Line Metro Train (OLMT) project.

In a press statement, the chief minister said provision of the funds for the project by the Export Import (Exim) Bank of China showed that the Chinese government had full confidence in the leadership and policies of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

He said that Chinese prime minister had called the OLMT project as a gift for the people of Pakistan. He said Pakistani people would never forget this gesture of the Chinese government. He said some of those opposed to the project were indulging in baseless propaganda. He said release of funds for the project should serve as a lesson for such elements.

He said the OLMT was a unique project in the history of the country. He said it was the first instance of Chinese government funding a megaproject whose construction was contracted out to Pakistanis companies. “This experience will result in capacity building of domestic firms,” he said.

Sharif said completion of the project would usher in a new era of friendship between Pakistan and China.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 18^th, 2016.