Misuse of premises, lack of activities at Customs Sports Complex irks residents and sportspersons

KARACHI: The lack of sports activity at the sprawling Customs Sports Complex in the city and the misuse of its premises due to the ongoing weddings and funfairs there have irked the sportspersons as well as the residents of the area who have asked the concerned authorities to urgently look into the matter and sort it out.

Investigations made into the matter have shown that the Customs Sports Complex, which was established in 1984 and is among the few venues in the city boasting a top level hockey Astro Turf installed at a massive cost of over Rs 50 million, have not been holding any major sports activity for over six months now with the exception of coaching sessions in judo and archery, and have instead become a venue for weddings and other social gatherings.

Situated in the thickly populated Block 15 of the Federal B Area, the sports complex have a wide ranging sports facilities to offer including the impressive Astro Turf ground for hockey, an athletics track, elaborate cricket coaching facilities besides indoor auditorium and sports hall, rooms for snooker and table tennis and outdoor basketball, tennis and netball courts.

Now renamed as The Customs Preventive Service Club and Sports Complex, the venue was abruptly shut down in October last year for a number of reasons including improper utilization of the sporting areas of the complex, unpaid utility bills and staging of social and cultural gathering on the expensive hockey turf, sub-letting the complex’s canteen and allowing long-term accommodation to rank outsiders at the complex.

Investigations also confirmed that the management at the sports complex, for some odd reason, have also discontinued professional coaching sessions in hockey and cricket which were imparted by renowned players such as former hockey captain Hanif Khan and world cricket’s first hat-trick maker Jalaluddin.

More than 300 budding hockey and cricket players used to regularly train at the sports complex but not anymore.

Attempts to approach Collector MCC Preventive Saqif Saeed, who heads the sports complex administration, were in vain. However, Club Secretary Shamim Akhtar later spoke at length about the state of affairs at the venue and strongly denied reports of curtailment of sports activities at the sports complex. “The impression is incorrect. The sports activities are pretty much in progress here with regular coaching sessions being conducted in hockey, cricket, tennis, archery, judo and many other sports,” he said.

“In fact the archery players who fetched gold medals for Pakistan in the mega events last year took their complete training here,” Shamim explained. “Besides that, hockey player Mohammad Ali gives coaching sessions to youngster at least three times a week here.”

However, he did admit the staging of weddings at the venue. “Yes we have staged a few weddings here but only the families of Customs officials have been extended this facility and no outsiders have been entertained in this regard.”

“But we are well aware of the botheration caused to the residents and have stopped any bookings for weddings beyond Feb 25,” he added.

While it is a well known fact the Customs Sports Complex and its affairs are being overseen by the FBR, Shamim said the facilities at the Customs Preventive Service Club have been raised by the club members and other resources and the FBR has nothing to do with them.

Many sportspersons and the residents around the Customs Sports Complex, however, have urged the FBR and other concerned authorities to take up the matter urgently with the top administration at the venue and put things in order there.