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PESHAWAR: Legendary cricketer Imran Khan laid down foundation stone of the Arbab Niaz Cricket Stadium by reconstructing it according to international need with all facilities costing Rs. 1.39 billion here Tuesday.
Besides him KP Information Minister Shah Farman, Minister for Elementary and Secondary Education Muhammad Atif, Adviser to the Chief Minister on Higher Education Mushtaq Ahmad Khan, Secretary Sports Muhammad Tariq Khan, Director General Sports Junaid Khan, Director Female Games Miss Rashida Ghaznavi, project director and his fan were also present.
Speaking on this occasion soon after inaugurating the foundation stone laying ceremony, Imran Khan said that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is full of talent with the attaining international standard of the Arbab Niaz Cricket Stadium, carrying a Test status international, it would help in bringing back international cricket to Peshawar.
He said now with the floodlight facilities the venues would be according to the international need. He said Arbab Niaz Cricket Stadium host many international Test and One-Day International matches and with the up-gradation and equipping it with facilities that has currently in the Dubai Cricket Stadium, the Peshawarites would see top players in action again.
He said the govt is very keen to involve the youth in healthy and productive activities and that is why initiative had been taken to provide playgrounds facilities at Union Council, Tehsil and District levels.
He said 100 grounds has already been completed and handed over to the Directorate General of Sports KP to utilize them during the 3rd edition of the forthcoming Under-23 Games in which a record 11500 male and female athletes would participate in 26 male and 17 female sports disciplines.
He said normalcy has been returned to the province after the long years of militancy and it is a right time to arrange sports activities for the youth to portray the soft image of the province and involve them in productive activities. He said the youth voted PTI to power in KP and their welfare is the prime objective of the govt. Imran Khan said that the PTI led govt started a number of activities to provide opportunities to the youth to exhibit their hidden talent and bring name to the province and the country.
Later, the Cricket-turn-politician also inaugurated the recently rehabilitated Peshawar Sports Complex. The Stadium had been rehabilitated with a total cost of Rs. 164 million to provide enhanced sports activities to the upcoming players.
Briefing Imran Khan, Director General Spots KP Junaid Khan said after the execution of this project the Stadium would provide all the facilities required for modern day cricketer. The facilities includes improvement of ground, new pavilion, changing rooms, enhancing seating capacity from 1600 to 32000 spectators with chair, additional floor will be constructed on the stairs, flood-light as it was in the Dubai Stadium, dining halls, conference halls, swimming pool, office-rooms wash rooms blocks, media galleries, VIP stands, generators for floodlit, a National Cricket Academy on the patron of National Cricket Academy presently in the Qaddafi Stadium Lahore, Swimming, two gymnasium, indoor practice, indoor practice pitches, five star accommodations for the players, digital monitoring systems.
He said, a MoU has already been signed with the Chief Operating Officer Pakistan Cricket Board for establishment of the state-of-the-art cricket Academy in Arbab Niaz Cricket Stadium, which would be the second of such kind in Pakistan like NCA.
He said, the significant of the project is squash complex would be constructed in Peshawar by the end of June 2018 with an estimated cost of 100m, work has been started on Nowshera International Standard Multi-Purpose Gymnasium costing Rs, 220 million.
Work has been will be commence on Abbottabad International Standard Multi-Purpose Gymnasium costing Rs, 204 million, land has been selected for Swat Sports Complex and the project has been approved as a cost of Rs. 507 million, work in in full swing at Kohat Sports Complex (Indoor facilities) and will be completed by June 2018, that costing Rs. 172 million, the players hostel at Dera Ismail Khan Sports Complex would be completed by the end of March at the cost of Rs. 64 million, Bannu hockey turf at Qazi Mohib Hockey Stadium would be completed by April this year at cost of Rs. 55 million, female indoor sports facilities at Peshawar, near to completion with the cost of Rs. 30 million, Swabi Sports Complex costing Rs. 183 million would be completed by March this year, Rustum Sports Complex in Mardan would be completed at a cost of Rs. 241 million, Curtis Stadium Haripur will be inaugurated soon, that costing Rs. 30 million.
He said hockey turf at Dera Ismail Khan, Kohat, Charsadda, Swat and Peshawar will be laid down at the cost of Rs. 350 million, Athletic Track at Bannu, Kohat, and Dera Ismail Khan have already been approved with the cost Rs. 365 million.
He informed that 100 grounds have already been handed over to the Directorate of Sports with work on 50 more grounds at Union Council and Tehsil has been continued. He said that out of 65 schemes of rehabilitation of the exiting sports facilities, 35 has been completed including Qayyum Stadium. He said that reconstruction of Peshawar Sports Complex had been completed with a total cost of of Rs. 164 million. The old pavilion of the Qayyum Sports Stadium was demolished and a new pavilion has now been completed containing all the facilities of international standard football arena. The new facility changing rooms, sitting area, dining halls, conference halls, office rooms, washrooms blocks, media rooms, galleries, Jawan Markez, Standby Generator and others.