LAHORE: Lahore Development Authority’s (LDA) governing body has approved a proposal to lease out the Johar Town Hockey Stadium — a major sports facility of international standard — in a bid to run it in a professional and sustainable manner. The need to outsource to facility was felt after its management committee failed to run it under professional and self-sustainable model, Dawn has learnt.

According to a document available with Dawn, the hockey stadium in Johar Town (D-II block, Khayaban-e-Firdausi) was constructed in 2012 by the LDA to facilitate the government revive and promote hockey with the budget amounting to Rs45.410 million after approval by the governing body in a meeting held on March 31, 2012.

After completion, in order to run the affairs of the stadium efficiently, an honorary management committee was constituted by LDA in a meeting held on Dec 6, 2012 on the directions of the then chief minister. The body consisted of Olympian Chaudhry Akhtar Rasool, and the then directors general (DGs) of LDA and Sports Department.

The committee in its first meeting decided to run the stadium as self-sustained project and all efforts will be made to make it a successful venture. However, the stadium could not be run under a self-sustainable model. Moreover, the management committee kept requesting the government for provision of financial grants from LDA time to time to run the affairs of the facility.

In the fiscal year 2012-13, the LDA, on the request of committee, provided funds amounting to Rs4.80 million, followed by another Rs4.80 million provided in 2014-15. In 2015-16 and 2016-17 fiscal years, the LDA provided Rs4 million, thus the total funds the committee obtained were amounting to Rs17.60 million.

“It was observed that despite financial support extended by LDA on different occasions, the hockey stadium suffered financial losses and is still in feeble condition to establish itself a sustainable venture. In view of the circumstances, the LDA authority in its meeting on May 5, 2021 decided to dissolve the management committee and directed to carryout repair and up-gradation works of the stadium,” read minutes of a very recent meeting of the LDA governing body presided over by caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Raza Naqvi.

According to proposal narrated in the meeting, presently all repair and maintenance activities have been completed. Similarly, all utility bills have also been paid. Therefore, in order to revive the national game of Pakistan and operate the stadium under a sustainable model, the stadium should be outsourced/leased to a professional organisation that can run it on self-sustainable manner through transparent / competitive manner.

Published in Dawn, January 8th, 2024