Security Blank at Mardan Sports Complex Jeopardizes Public Safety

 

Musarrat Ullah Jan- KikxNow

The Mardan Sports Complex, an important center for exercise, recreation, and sports for the young, athletes, and elderly people of Mardan district, is now facing a serious security crisis. The lack of appointed security guards at the complex has compromised the safety of the citizens, with stray and untrained animals, especially dogs, apparently serving as an "unofficial guard" in different sections of the center.

Guests of the complex, particularly women and elderly people, are growing more unsafe with the existence of such stray dogs. Not only do these animals linger freely in the gate and parking spaces, but they have also been known to bark at and pursue people utilizing the walking paths. Local resident Fazal Rabi said, "We come here every day in the evening for exercising, but the attitude of a few dogs has turned dangerous in the last few days. Women and children get frightened, and many are going back."

Sources report that an announcement for recruitment of security staff on "daily wages" for the Mardan Sports Complex was made for the fiscal year 2024-25. But the ground situation is different. Sources in the Sports Directorate expose that although recruitments might be ongoing on paper, most of them are mere names, and their presence on the complex grounds is zero.

This is not the first case of reported lack of basic facilities in the sports complex. Civic society and social organizations have raised questions on why practical application of government funds allocated for such a purpose is not seen and on why silence is being kept over a sensitive matter such as security. According to them, if the safety of the citizens cannot be provided, then the raison d'être of such a complex being set up comes into question.

Consistent with journalistic duty, we call for the following immediate action by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Sports Directorate, District Administration Mardan, and Ministry of Sports:

Deploy trained security personnel at the Mardan Sports Complex with immediate effect.

Hold a routine audit on the attendance and performance of daily-wage recruited staff on regular basis.

Local administration must take immediate action to manage stray dogs.

Create a permanent security plan for the protection and ease of citizens who come to the complex.

This problem is not isolated in the case of the Mardan Sports Complex; several sports grounds, gymnasiums, and sports complexes across different districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa suffer due to the absence of fundamental facilities, security, and personnel. It is time that boastings regarding promoting sports start becoming something more than just an advertisement and become concrete actions.

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