KCCA Stadium a sad story of neglect

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.