LAHORE, May 25 (APP): Lahore Development Authority (LDA) has decided to provide a piece of land at a suitable place instead of Ferozpur for the construction of a cricket stadium for blind cricketers, ending a dispute between the LDA and Pakistan Blind Cricket Council (PBCC).
“We have identified a piece of land for building blind cricket stadium and we will take every measure to address the grievances of PBCC in this regard”, said Nabeel javed, Director General, LDA while talking to APP here on Wednesday.
He said LDA will offer suitable piece of land to PBCC for the
construction of blind cricket stadium for the uplift of blind cricket in the province and to end the dispute in an amicable way.
“We are equally supplementing the ongoing efforts of the Punjab Government to provide play grounds for engaging youth in healthy activities and providing a cricket stadium for visually impaired cricketers is a part of our plan to create facilities for physically handicapped sportsmen”, he said.
Chairman, PBCC, Syed Sultan Shah said the dispute between them and the LDA arose after LDA stopped the construction of the stadium on its proposed site at Ferozpur road on the grounds that the land was part of LDA City.
“Way back in 2004 we were allocated a piece of land on lease by the Punjab Government for the construction of cricket stadium along with a modern hostel to provide most modern facilities to blind cricketers and to have daily practice at a place where all facilities are available under one roof”, he added.
He said on the direction of the Punjab Government, Sports Board Punjab undertook the project of building a stadium at the proposed site at Ferozpur road but as the construction work was started few weeks ago the LDA stopped it on the pretext that the land falls in the master plan of LDA city.
He said it was a very unfortunate situation for the blind cricketers who were expecting that finally their own cricket facility will be built after a long gap of 12 years.
“If LDA wants to give us another piece of land it should be at a suitable place not far away from the city and it should be transferred to PBCC on similar terms and conditions on which the land was given to us on lease by the Punjab Government at earlier place of Ferozpur road”, said PBCC Chairman “If these conditions are not met we will not be interested to get the land and we will continue playing on different grounds of the city like before as cricket for blind suffered a lot in the past as well”,he added.