The city government will install Astroturf at the hockey ground of North Karachi town with a cost of Rs25 million, said City Nazim Syed Mustafa Kamal.
Talking to journalists after inaugurating a cricket ground in sector 11-E, North Karachi on Sunday, the Nazim said that the construction of more than 20 floodlight stadiums and cricket academies was also under way in all 18 towns of the city.
Provincial Sports Minister, Dr Muhammad Ali Shah; Minister for Youth Affairs, Sindh Faisal Subzwari; Town Nazim North Karachi, Akhtar Hussain; Town Nazim North Nazimabad, Mumtaz Hameed; prominent sports personalities and a large number of people were also present on the occasion.
Kamal said that the Haq Parast city government had started implementing the plan to construct cricket stadiums with floodlights in every town, adding that national cricket experts will be coordinated with in this project. He also directed the North Karachi Town Nazim to construct a sports academy and sports complex at the site adjacent to the cricket ground. He said that the complex should also have a hockey ground, which would be the second Astroturf hockey ground constructed by the city government in Karachi.
The city Nazim also asked Faisal Subzwari to provide technical coordination for the establishment of a sports academy in North Karachi.
Earlier, thousands of people including sports lovers greeted Kamal and Subzwari with a warm welcome when they arrived at the ground.
An exhibition cricket match was also supervised by the organisers after the inauguration of ground. The match was played between City Nazim XI and N. Karachi Town XI. Kamal and Subzwari represented the City Nazim XI and also opened the innings for their team.
North Karachi Town Eleven had Shah, Hussain and Hameed as the main players. Other cricketers also played in the match. A good number of spectators enjoyed the exhibition match at the newly-inaugurated ground in North Karachi.