CricketViewer.com

The start of the renovation and upgrade work on the National Stadium Karachi (NSK) has again been delayed after the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) decided to go for more cuts in the costing of the project.

A PCB official, involved in the development projects of the Board, confirmed that fresh tenders had been invited for the renovation and upgrade project after the lowest tender submitted was for 700 million rupees.

“We had invited tenders for the complete project and the lowest tender we got was for 700 million rupees. The PCB felt this costing was very high for the project and it has been decided to make some revisions in the entire plan to reduce the costing to 500 million rupees,” he stated.

The Ad-hoc Committee of the Board has given approval to increase the seating capacity up to 50,000, build a new VIP block in the main building, shift the media section, double the number of hospitality boxes and construct shops, offices and parking space in the up gradation and renovation of the stadium. “Some of these projected improvements will now naturally be slashed to cut down the costs,” the official said.

He confirmed that in the upgrade plan, the media floor would be shifted to the other side of the stadium opposite the main building. “The main building will only house the offices, dressing rooms and the VIP sections. The media block will be where the scoreboard is now.”

According to the official, the major improvement in the up grade plan was to build shops and offices in the stadium after constructing a ring road around the stadium. “The sale or rental of these shops and offices should hopefully make this project a self financing one. The money spent on the renovation of the stadium should easily be recovered from the sale and rental of the shops and offices.”

He made it clear that the clubhouse project was separate from the renovation and up grade of the stadium and the new building would be built on the Board land inside the National Coaching Centre premises.

The PCB will also have to surrender a considerable portion of its land inside the National Stadium to the local government, which is constructing a flyover linking Karsaz Road with Hasan Square.

He said it was decided to have an underground parking station for the shops and offices but now this would have to be dropped in the cost cutting measures.

The renovation and up grade work on the National Stadium was last carried out in 1996 when the World Cup matches were staged at this venue.

Since then the Board has made several promises to renovate and improve the facilities at the stadium and also to construct the clubhouse on a self-financing basis but so far all these promises have remained on paper and nothing has been done practically.

The official conceded that the decision to have a separate VIP block in the stadium was taken because of the enormous pressure that is mounted on the Board before and during matches. “Even the provincial assembly members have demanded seating during matches,” he said.

Source: The News

Technorati Tags: Karachi, PCB, World Cup