Islamabad, Oct 28: After five years, Rawalpindi’s sports complexes are getting a makeover with the installation of a swimming pool, a new gym, and a dormitory for athletes who come to play various activities in the city.
The Punjab government is in charge of two major sports complexes: Shehbaz Sharif Sports Complex and Liaquat Bagh Sports Complex. The government has now begun to add new amenities and renovate existing complexes.
More sports facilities were desperately needed in the garrison city, which has been losing its playgrounds and open spaces due to construction.
The administration has been receiving requests for new facilities, like a gym, swimming pool, or other amenities, from people in many spheres of society.
Participating teams were forced to spend the evenings in private hotels or at schools and colleges during the district-level sporting events because there was nowhere for them to remain for three or four days.
Many playgrounds vanished in the last ten years under the guise of development, and the city authorities’ negligence nearly destroyed the ones that remained.
The Rawalpindi Cantonment Board closed the lone pool in Rawalpindi, located in Roomi Park in front of the Military Hospital, to create a food court.
Racecourse Ground, Saidpur Road Football Stadium, Muslim High School, Gordon College, Mission High School, Asghar Mall College, and numerous more locations were among the open spaces where we used to play.
However, the younger generation is wasting time on social media, according to Mohammad Arslan, a resident of Chaklala Scheme-III.
Youngsters and children have different stories to share. They believe that children now find roadways to be a better place to play football or cricket, and that open spaces have steadily vanished from the city.
The average person could not afford the high monthly fees of numerous gyms in the garrison city, which range from Rs3,500 to Rs10,000. According to college student Mohammad Pervaiz, “the government should start such facilities for youngsters at affordable fees.”
Deputy Commissioner Dr. Hassan Waqar Cheema told Dawn that the district’s sports complexes have been improved to give young people access to high-quality sports possibilities.
“At a cost of Rs98.2 million, the swimming pool in the sports complex at Liaquat Bagh is almost finished, as it was a popular request,” he stated.
According to him, the player’s hostel was finished and can house around 25 athletes.
According to Mr. Cheema, the government has made sports promotion a top priority since it allows us to foster healthy rivalry among our kids.
In this sense, he said, the sports department will be crucial in encouraging sports and getting young people involved in constructive activities.
He claimed that it was the duty of the government to provide chances and encourage young people to participate in physical activities. He claimed that because there aren’t enough sports possibilities, young people spend the majority of their leisure time using computers, smartphones, and other tech-related devices.
He claimed that the Shehbaz Sharif Complex in Shamsabad, the Municipal Football Stadium, and the Shehnaz Sheikh Hockey Stadium on Saidpur Road had previously been renovated by the provincial administration. There was a plan, he continued, to give the young people more amenities.
