LDA to provide land for blind cricket stadium’s construction

The Lahore Development Authority (LDA) has decided to provide a piece of land for the construction of a cricket stadium for the blind cricketers, ending a dispute between LDA and Pakistan Blind Cricket Council (PBCC).

LDA Director General Nabeel Javed said, “We have identified a piece of land for building blind cricket stadium and we will take every measure to address the grievances of PBCC in this regard.”

He said LDA will offer suitable piece of land to PBCC for the construction of blind cricket stadium to encourage blind cricket in the province and to end the dispute in an amicable way.

He said “We are equally supplementing the ongoing efforts of the Punjab government to provide playgrounds to engage youth in healthy activities.”

“Providing a cricket stadium for visually impaired cricketers is a part of our plan to create facilities for physically handicapped sportsmen,” he added.

PBCC Chairman Syed Sultan Shah said that LDA stopped the construction of the stadium on its proposed site at Ferozpur road on the grounds that the land was a part of LDA City.

“In 2004, we were allocated a piece of land on lease by the Punjab government for the construction of cricket stadium along with a modern hostel to provide modern facilities to blind cricketers and to have a daily practice at a place where all facilities are available under one roof,” he added.

He said that Sports Board Punjab undertook the project of building a stadium at the proposed site on the Punjab government’s direction but as the construction work started, LDA stopped it.

He said that it was quite unfortunate for the blind cricketers who were expecting that a cricket facility will finally be built for them after a gap of 12 years.

The PBCC chairman said, “If LDA wants to give us another piece of land, it should be at a suitable place, not too far from the city, and it should be transferred to PBCC on similar terms and conditions on which the land was given to us by the Punjab government.”

“If these conditions are not met, we will not take the land and we will continue playing on different grounds of the city as before. Cricket for the blind has suffered a lot in the past as well,” he added.