Port Qasim cricket project stalls after bids opened in May
ISLAMABAD: A planned cricket ground and academy at the Port Qasim Authority Housing Complex in Karachi remains stuck months after tenders were floated, with work orders yet to be issued despite financial bids having been opened in May.
Port Qasim Authority documents show that five firms initially submitted bids on Jan 20 for the project. After technical evaluation, two were declared non-responsive. Financial bids of the remaining three firms were then opened in May, and M/s Glamour Construction emerged as the lowest bidder with an offer of Rs52 million against the Notice Inviting Tender estimate of Rs60 million.
Even so, construction has not started. A PQA official said the bidding process had dragged on for so long that the project could have been completed by now, adding that further delay could push up costs. The official said, “We floated tenders in January and still the project yet to begin,” and added, “We have taken eight months [only] in the bidding process, what to talk of completing the project on fast track.”
Another official said all tender-related steps had effectively been completed, but the order to begin work had still not been issued. The official said the matter was likely to be placed before the authority’s board through a presentation, after which the project would move ahead.
PQA Secretary Shahnawaz Mangrio rejected the view that the Karachi project had been subjected to excessive delay, saying the authority was completing all required procedures before moving forward. He said, “We will construct a state-of-the-art cricket stadium.”
Some PQA officials have asked Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhry to intervene so that no further time is lost. One employee said Karachi already faced a shortage of proper sports facilities and argued that the project should be taken up on a priority basis.