Various sports grounds in the federal capital are in dire need of maintenance but the Capital Development Authority (CDA) seems less interested in taking care of these grounds.
The hockey ground at G-7 Markaz is in a deplorable condition and may get worse if the CDA does not undertake appropriate measures. A cemented cricket pitch has been put up on the hockey ground and goal posts have been pulled out. Similarly, a football ground in Sector G-7/2 is being used by people for drying clothes rather than playing football.
Keeping in view the current state of affairs and inaction by the CDA, the Islamabad Hockey Association (IHA) and the Islamabad Football Association (IFA) should take steps to promote sports by preserving these grounds.
Talking on the issue, CDA Director Sports and Culture Malik Atta said the CDA chairman had given them fresh directives to maintain the sports grounds in the federal capital. “I have requested the CDA chairman to provide us with more staff for maintenance,” he said, adding that security guards would be deployed in each ground for its safety.
Atta also vowed to remove the cemented cricket pitch from the hockey ground in G-7 Markaz.
When contacted IFA secretary Muhammad Zaman, he said the football ground in Sector G-7/2 is under a youth football club but it is the CDA’s job to maintain the grounds in the capital. “We can take notice of a ground only when a club requests us to do so,” he said. The IHA secretary was not available for a comment.