Plans and progress: Spending on sports facilities ‘slow’

Utilisation is on schedule, says Sport’s Board director general.

LAHORE:

The Youth Affairs, Sports, Archaeology and Tourism Department has received Rs1.107 billion from the government for the Punjab Youth Festival, various other sports activities and the construction and renovation of infrastructure for sports activities during the current fiscal year. The funds had been released by March.

The utilisation of funds to organise the youth festival and other sports events meanwhile has been 100 per cent, the utilisation of funds for the construction and renovation of sports infrastructure fell very short of the mark, The Express Tribune has learnt.

Of the funds released, Rs568.2 million was set aside for sports festivals and activities and 539.5 million for the construction of gyms, courts, sports stadiums and synthetic turf.

The Punjab Youth Festival began in the last week of December and will end this week. The festival had 16 sectors and 196 categories of events and competitions that were held at six levels starting from the village to the provincial level. The funds were used to provide prizes, make arrangements and host guests during the festival. Rs1.9 million were used for a football championship, Rs35 million for a Basant festival at Changa Manga forest (that was later postponed indefinitely), Rs100 million was paid to the Pakistan Hockey Federation, Rs20 million for the PYF’s media campaign management, Rs400 million for the PYF, Rs4 million for the national anthem-singing event and Rs2.5 million for a paralympics event.

The Finance Department also gave the Sports Board Rs4.88 million as supplementary grant for the expenditures incurred during the chief minister’s tour of Indian Punjab to watch a Kabbadi match between India and Pakistan last year in December.

A company was paid Rs20 million to manage the media promotion of the PYF and other sports events, an official close to developments said.

The Finance Department had also released Rs539.48 million for the construction and renovation of sports infrastructure in the province. This includes Rs2.381 million for a gym in Sialkot, Rs9.423 for a wrestling arena at Iqbal Park, Lahore, Rs11.08 million for a sports stadium in Mureedke, Rs4.35 million for a sport stadium in Pattoki, Rs1.4 million for a sports stadium in Chunian, Rs4.746 million for a gym in Bahawalpur and Rs28.548 for a sports complex in Kamalia. Rs15 million for a wrestling hall in Gujranwala, Rs17.98 million for a boxing gym at Lahore, Rs30.04 million to lay synthetic turf, Rs6.678 million for squash courts in the province, Rs29.04 million for a sports stadium in Chakwal, Rs51.544 million for the renovation of a national hockey stadium, Rs5.9 million to upgrade a playground in Johar Town, Rs192.27 million to arrange for security at Nishtar Park Sports Complex, Rs5.522 million for a sports stadium in Mianwali, Rs22.05 million for a stadium in Narowal and Rs20.50 million for a sports stadium in Ahmadpur East.

Even though, the funds requested for these projects have been released on the advice of the Planning and Development Board, utilisation of funds for these development projects has not exceeded 35 per cent, an official requesting anonymity said.

Youth Affairs, Sports, Archaeology and Tourism Department Secretary Muhammad Khan Khichi said he was not aware of the low utilisation of funds. “The funds are at the disposal of the Sports Board director general and he utilises them,” Khichi said.

Sports Board Director General Usman Anwar said, “These must be old figures. The current utilisation figures, which are under compilation, are quite high. Since the Communication and Works Department executes development projects and utilises funds.” He said that the Sports Board had no role in the utilisation of funds. The Communication and Works Department is compiling the new figures which will be announced before April 10, he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 5^th, 2014.