If Karachiites are interested to know how the city cricket affairs are
run, they would be well advised to visit the KCCA Stadium in North
Nazimabad which gives a look of a stable rather than a cricket ground.
The stadium, which once staged highly competitive matches, is now
struggling to keep pace with at least two well-maintained stadium
within four kilometres radius - the Asghar Ali Shah Stadium and the
UBL Sports Complex.
The players room, which once had tiles, proper seating facilities and
shower rooms, has been reduced to a ramshackle and is barely standing
on its feet with the help of bamboo's.
The outfield has wide barren patches, is bumpy, water-logged and grass
more than ankle high. Groundsmen said the grass has not been relayed
for the last three years and they were finding it difficult to keep it
alive for as long as possible.
It seems that if the legendary Imran Khan ever said dogs and crows
watched domestic matches, he would have pointed out the KCCA Stadium
where the street dogs have lodged themselves just outside the dressing
rooms which has been provided with an additional shelter along with a
couple of tables lying about which might serve as dinner tables if any
matches are held.
Behind one of the sight screens there exists a haven, for stray
animals, especially for wild dogs who roam freely without any
hindrance.
At the far end, students of the Rashid Latif Cricket Academy were
practising but the nets were regularly stopped by the wind which blew
tons of dust in their eyes. The poor boys were not provided with
drinking water nor even the facility of a changing room.
The ground is being managed by one Mr Kamran who, when queried about
the state of affairs and the development programmes, said: "You will
have to talk to Mr Bukhari (secretary, KCCA)."
The present outlook of the KCCA Stadium was never the same. In fact,
it had an excellent look till the mid-90s after it was given to the
KCCA by KMC in 1988 on a 30-year lease. Until then, things were in
proper order with the cricketers having a great time.
But suddenly, the KCCA split into two and the most powerful group
spearheaded by "obstinate" Prof Sirajul Islam Bukhari, who has been
the secretary for the last three decades, forced its vice-president Dr
Mohammad Ali Shah to throw in the towel.
It would be a waste of space if one goes into the details of what
transpired which forced Dr Shah (who supervized the ground) to part
ways with the KCCA. But surely, it was a loss to the KCCA as Dr Shah,
with an individual effort, secured an unused ground in Block 'B' of
North Nazimabad and transformed a muddy Pak Wanderers ground into one
of the best cricket stadiums of the city fully equipped with modern
day requirements.
Besides the excellent and international standard facilities, the
ground has seven floodlight towers which has a total of 112 bulbs with
each bulb of 2000volts. To run the floodlights, the stadium has a
340kva generator, which even the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) doesn't
have to run its floodlights at the National Stadium in case there is a
power failure.
With the ground having the basic infrastructure, there is always
something going on at the Asghar Ali Shah Stadium in an effort to keep
improving the facility for the enthusiasts of the game and fitness
fanatics of the locality.
There is an amazing contrast in the two stadium. The KCCA Stadium is
in shambles despite having the support and backing of the entire
cricket hierarchy while the Asghar Ali Shah Stadium is a gift for the
locality due to the individual and untiring effort of one man.
The KCCA cannot complain of being cash-strapped. However, that's
another story if the funds have not been spent properly. The KMC
stopped its annual grant of Rs100,000 in the mid-90s because the KCCA
failed to show that it was investing the public funds in the right
direction. There is also no record where the other grants received
over the years from other sources have disappeared.
In fact, in 1995, the then Sindh chief minister Abdullah Shah
presented a cheque of Rs700,000 for the development of the KCCA
Stadium. The KCCA officials will have to come up with solid answers to
explain at what areas of the stadium this money was invested. The
present state of the KCCA itself is pathetic.
The KCCA, who claim to be the biggest nursery of South Asia, have made
their camp office inside the National Stadium since 1988 and running
its day-to-day affairs free of cost. The electricity bills are being
paid by the PCB while a week back, the PCB gifted them a fax machine
and a computer. Needless to say that the PCB also pays the KCCA per
match in its organized tournaments during the domestic season.
So much so, club cricket, which is the primary duty of the KCCA, has
gradually been eliminated and the main emphasis is now on departmental
and firms tournaments who pay money to the KCCA for participation.
The local cricket enthusiasts are keen to know the contributions of
the KCCA to the city and inquire why they have imposed themselves as
the guardians of city cricketers and blocked the way for others to
replace them. They also demand the KCCA to come out clean and explain
where they have invested the money.