The Current Destiny of the "1000 Sports Facilities Project" — Projects Held Up, Funds Suspended, Grounds Left Vacant

musarrat ullah jan -

 

Peshawar – The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government initiated the "1000 Sports Facilities Project" five years ago with the aim of establishing sports infrastructure like playgrounds, gyms, indoor halls, and cricket academies in 1000 places. But since 2023, the project has gone totally silent. Not only has the construction process stopped, but the disbursement of funds has also been stopped.

The Planning and Sports Departments have not released development funds for any sub-scheme since 2023. Dozens of sites are still under construction. The half-finished buildings are crumbling, and most of the projects have been the victim of negligence and bureaucratic indifference. In the early years, a few districts had some open-air gyms, but even those have now been left to complete neglect.

In certain areas, open-air gyms were installed without delegating responsibility to anyone, and they disappeared after three months. An example of such a gym in Abbottabad's Lady Garden also went missing within six months of installation. Locals claim that the gyms were utilized for only inaugural photo shoots.

Thousands of young athletes had expected this project to give them hope in the form of international-standard facilities. Now, they're only left with bare fields, rusty machines, and closed halls. Young athletes are profoundly disappointed. This isn't merely a development fiasco — it's a wasted youth trust, talent, and time.

Astonishingly, the appointments of Project Directors (PDs) under the 1000 Sports Facilities Project were made on deputation without any public interviews or disclosure. No information regarding the process of selection is available. The project has now become a symbol of administrative corruption and secretive decision-making. Sources allege that none of the PDs appointed for this big project underwent any formal interview or selection process.

There were no ads in the newspapers, no Public Service Commission involvement, and no departmental clearance — simply appointments depending on the influence of a few bigwigs, seriously questioning transparency. And also, there's no record kept for the vehicles bought or distributed for this project.

There is no project data or performance information on any government website. There has been no public report released regarding the project staff and expenditure. Officials are mum even when requested under the Right to Information (RTI) Act.

In the midst of this, the sports community stakeholders are calling for NAB (National Accountability Bureau) and the Auditor General to investigate and make public the rationale and history of PD appointments. They also call for forensic audit of vehicles, equipment, offices, and finances and the itemization of all spends from 2019 to date. Finally, they call for physical checks of all closed or abandoned project locations.

#kikxnow #sportsproject #Kpk #Kp #pakistan #facilities #kpk #kp

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Govt urge open wedding halls in KP, owners

musarrat ullah jan -
    PESHAWAR, (kikxNow) Representatives of Wedding Halls Association Khyber Pakhtunkhawa (WHA-KP) expressed their regret over still closure of wedding halls and demanded of the government to open halls. Speaking at a news press conference here at Peshawar Press Club (PPC) on Tuesday, president of WHA Khalid Ayub said that livelihood of hundreds of thousands workers were associated those wedding halls but it depends of their running business of marriages in the concerned halls. He said that there were 120 registered and 170 unregistered wedding halls in the provincial metropolis (Peshawar) while in the province there approximately 600 marriage halls, which were closed for four months due to COVID-19. Accompanied Arbab Farooq, Rahat Akbar and others, the president said that as long as the lockdown had been clamped by the government, the wedding halls were completely locked, resulting loss of Rs2.5billions across only in head of expenditures.   “As per our capaci...
Read more

Demand for an inquiry into the contracts and contracts awarded in the previous regime

musarrat ullah jan -
  Constituencies associated with sports appealed to the caretaker chief minister including Governor Ghulam Ali to take notice. PESHAWAR ... The circles related to sports have demanded an inquiry into the various contracts given in the sports sector during the PTI regime and have said that a transparent inquiry should be made into all the contracts given by the Provincial Sports Directorate of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Similarly, the contracts given for the purchase of sports equipment, including the hockey grounds built in the 1000 sports facilities project, including the squash courts built in various colleges, should also be checked so that not only the element of transparency is brought out, they also made the contract in the form of color. Action should also be taken against the contractor because most of the projects taken only for their own benefit have become non-standard which the previous political rulers did not pay attention to. Due to this reason, the officials of sport...
Read more

Mohmand Bajaur Aman Cycle Race Promotes Peace and Local Talent

musarrat ullah jan -
    The Mohmand Bajaur Aman Cycle Race, aimed at spreading the message of peace, is set to take place on November 17, 18, and 19. Cyclists hailing from all four provinces and Islamabad are gearing up for the three-day championship, with participation from various teams, including those from Pakistan Army, Higher Education Commission, WAPDA, and Railway.   The event, under the watchful eye of technical officials, boasts a distinguished lineup, featuring Colonel Retd Jahanzeb Niazi from Balochistan, Gul Muhammad Kakar from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Nasir Khan Mohmand, and Amjad Nawaz Khan from WAPDA. Further, key figures such as Mumtaz , Secretary Waqar Ali from Punjab, and representatives from Sindh, Kaleem Awan Railway, Haider Ali, and Abdul Aziz are actively involved.   Organized by Pakistan Army's 22nd Brigade Mohmand and facilitated by Moazzam Claire and Khawaja Idris Haider, the race will span from Ghulnai to Mammadghat, then to Bajaur, Cadet College, and b...
Read more