Daily Times

In violation of rules, the Parks & Horticulture Authority (PHA) has illegally assigned the contract of management of a football ground to a private company.

Sources privy to the development revealed, the contract of the football ground established at Shehbaz Sharif Park is illegally awarded to a private company Total Football which charges heavy fees from players.

PHA has not fulfilled the procedure for awarding the contract, sources informed. The authority had not issued any tender notice neither it had conducted bidding for the contract. PHA has not written any agreement with the company, sources added. Total Football Director Arsalan Mushtaq said, “Our charges are very economical as compared to the other grounds. We charge only Rs 3,000 per hour. We are managing the maintenance expenses of the ground from this income. Recently we have installed a generator in the ground from our own financial resources”

Answering a question about the agreement with PHA, he said the former director general of PHA was worried about the maintenance of the ground, so they offered their services.

“We don’t have any written agreement with PHA. However, the monthly rent of the ground was fixed by them,” he maintained.

“The company was assigned the task to only look after the ground. I will investigate the matter of the fee collection and will take action as per law. Moreover, tender for the biding of lease will be issued soon,” PHA DG Saif Anwar Jappa said, while talking exclusively to Daily Times.

Published in Daily Times, August 6^th 2018.