After spending millions, CDA plans to lease out playgrounds

Authority had also recently leased out advertisement rights at some of its developed sport grounds to private partners

ISLAMABAD:

The Capital Development Authority (CDA) plans to lease out three public playgrounds to private firms after spending millions of taxpayers’ money on their maintenance and development in the past nine years.

The sports wing of the CDA has sought opinion of the authority’s law wing over a proposal aimed to engage private partners to develop and operate a wide array of sports grounds in the capital.

Dearth of playgrounds has always been a worry for residents of Islamabad. The CDA, which is principally responsible to develop and maintain sporting facilities, says it does not have funds to complete un-finished and underdeveloped grounds in the city.



“It is becoming more and more difficult for CDA to complete unfinished grounds, improve existing sports facilities and impart coaching to young players,” says a summary of the proposal sent to the CDA Board for approval.

“Many sports grounds are lying incomplete due to financial constraints. It is therefore strongly proposed that the CDA may involve private partners to not only complete and improve the facilities but to also impart training to our youth,” reads the summary.

The sports wing is of the view that is not a new concept as municipalities in developed world also follow public-private partnership pattern to bridge funding gaps and deliver essential public services, it added. The authority had also recently leased out advertisement rights at some of its developed sports grounds to private partners to meet maintenance expenditure of these facilities.

“If approved by the CDA Board, the sports wing will lease out three grounds, one each of cricket, football and hockey,” an official privy to the development said. The proposal says grounds will be leased out through an open and competitive process.

The summary also regrets what it says an overall decline at the national level in sports and says that engaging youth in sports will also help take them away from drugs and extremist tendencies.

Down the drain

Documents available with The Express Tribune suggest that the CDA spent approximately Rs91.54 million in the recent past to maintain and develop these grounds.

There are over a dozen grounds of hockey, football and cricket which were announced years ago by the CDA but are yet to be developed.

Article 12 (3) of the CDA Ordinance, 1960 says “public parks, playing fields and graveyards are to be developed and maintained by the CDA.” This provision was also mentioned in a 2010 Supreme Court judgment in which the apex court had nullified CDA’s partnership with a private land development firm to develop the northern strip of Sector E-11.

A summary sent by the CDA to the federal cabinet seeking amendments in the ordinance to make room for public-private partnership has been pending for years.

CDA spokesperson Ramzan Sajid said the move was primarily aimed to provide better sports facilities to the public. He refused to further comment over the issue saying the proposal was pending with CDA’s Law Directorate for its opinion.

CDA director-general sports and culture Nadeem Abro was also not available for comments.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 23^rd,  2015.