PESHAWAR:Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Mahmood Khan Thursday inaugurated the state-of-the-art Kohat Sports Complex, carrying multiple Games facilities with a total cost of more than Rs. 600 million.
Talking to journalists soon after inaugurating the mega sports project, Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Mahmood Khan said that the promise he made with the youth of Kohat has been fulfilled with the inauguration of state-of-the-art Kohat Sports Complex.
Adviser to Prime Minister MNA Sheryar Afridi, MNA Noureen Ibrahim, Member Provincial Assembly Zia Ullah Bangash, Commissioner Kohat Javed Marwat, Deputy Commissioner Kohat Roshan Masood, Secretary Sports Amir Sultan Tareen, Director General Sports Khalid Khan, Regional Sports Officer Syed Sikandar Shah, DSO Zeeshan Khan, former international footballer Mohib Ur Rehman and Faqir Awan, PTI workers, players were also present.
Kohat Sports Complex is an ADP scheme completed in record time including rehabilitation of internal roads inside the Stadium costing Rs. 12.831 million, Tartan Track with a total cost of Rs. 123.43 million, Astro Turf costing Rs. 90.304 million, Gymnasium Hall, separately, for female with other added facilities with cost of 99.90 million along with administration block, Gymnasium Hall for Male, Swimming Pool, Player Hostel, Overhead water tank and tube-wall facilities for watering the Complex completed with the total cost of Rs. 262.244 million and Climbing Wall with costing of Rs. 10.200 million.
Besides the above completed work, the Chief Minister also announced a Cricket Academy and other upcoming projects including construction of Squash Courts at the Complex premises to be completed with total cost of Rs. 27.251 million and construction of hockey pavilion that cost Rs. 30.000 million.
He said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government is spending Rs 22,402m to develop sports infrastructure all across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa including merged tribal areas so that the youth could be provided with international standard facilities.
The KP government has been spending billion of rupees for the promotion of sports and developing international standard sports infrastructure including laying of 11 hockey turfs, seven separate gymnasiums for females and construction of three International Cricket Council (ICC) certified cricket venues.
The record is set by allocating Rs22.402 million for the sports sector, which ensures a bright future for the players of the province as per the directives of the promises he made with the youth. He said, laying of hockey turfs in different districts of the province have been approved in several districts which will increase the number of hockey turfs in KP to 15, which is itself a unique honor as KP becomes the leading province with more hockey turfs facilities.
Hockey turf at Abdul Wali Khan Sports Complex, Charsadda and country’s historical institution Islamia College Peshawar, Kohat, Bannu, Dera Ismail Khan, Mardan have been completed with floodlight facilities while work on hockey turfs at Swat, Bajaur, Khyber, Nowshera, Lala Ayub Hockey Stadium Peshawar, Abbottabad, Buner, Malakand and Swat are in the pipeline. The Astro-Turf at Swat, Nowshera and Bajaur are nearing completion while work on others would be started in due course of time.
In the first phase, a huge amount of Rs828 million has been allocated for hockey turfs in different districts at a cost of Rs87 million on Charsadda turf, Rs91 million on Islamia College, Rs99 million on Swat, Rs91 million on Kohat and Rs91 million on D. I. Khan, Rs115 on Abbottabad, Rs123 million on Nowshera, Rs130 million on Bajaur, Rs130 million on Khyber.
To provide equal opportunity to the female players, for the first time in the country’s history 07 separate gymnasiums for women are being constructed in each region at a cost of Rs700 million. The Chief Minister said that the first and gigantic international standard cricket Stadiums would be constructed at Faizabad, in Kalam. Work on state-of-the-art Arbab Niaz and Hayatabad Cricket Stadiums are currently in progress at a total cost of Rs1.90 billion and Rs994 million respectively as per the requirement of PCB and International Cricket Council (ICC) and by June this year work on both the Cricket Stadiums would be completed.
To enjoy the pleasant weather in summer, a sports ground is being constructed in Saidu Sharif, a beautiful area of Swat besides cricket stadium in Kalam, he said. It would help in bringing international cricket activities to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, he informed.
He said, for player welfare fixed stipends are being given to 1250 male and female athletes who won gold (Rs. 10,000), silver (Rs. 8000) and bronze medals (Rs. 5000).
He further said that Rs2204 million has been allocated for various projects in the merged districts of which Rs348 million for Bajaur, Rs70 million for Mohmand, Rs208 million has been earmarked for Waziristan. He said, Kohat Sports Complex provides the facilities of Cricket Stadium, Football Stadium, Swimming Pool, and Gymnasium for both male and female, squash court, Athletic Tartan Track, Hockey Astro-Turf.
The up-gradation project under the supervision of Directorate Sports completed at a cost of Rs 600 million. Rs 262 million is being spent on swimming pool, indoor gymnasium hall, and hostel, four walls and street lights, Rs 96 million on hockey turf, Rs 120 million on Athletic Tartan Track and Rs 12 million on internal roads.
The CM also reviewed and inspected the quality of construction work and facilities and issued necessary instructions to Secretary Sports Amir Sultan Tareen. He also directed him to take steps for the construction of a cricket academy as well.