Islamabad to have five new padel tennis courts
Wire desk byline Sourced from Xinhua, Dawn, Arab News, Anadolu and Minute Mirror. Translated and abridged by the GSRRA Desk.
The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has said it has auctioned five sites for establishing padel tennis courts in various areas of the city, expecting to generate Rs7.6 million per month.
Padel tennis, a combination of tennis and squash, is rapidly gaining popularity in the country. Last month, the CDA was about to hand over these sites to the lowest bidder on a profit-sharing basis.
However, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi intervened and directed the CDA to opt for a new auction on a fixed rent basis instead of revenue sharing. Mr Naqvi stated that the revenue-sharing model posed risks of corruption.
Following the directive, the CDA conducted fresh tendering and received an overwhelming response from investors.
Civic agency auctions five sites, expects to receive Rs7.6m per month
The successful bidders will construct two courts at each site to operate them on a commercial basis.
“On the directions of the interior minister and CDA chairman, and under the supervision of acting chairman Talat Mahmood Gondal, the CDA has successfully auctioned five premium padel tennis sites across Islamabad at a substantial monthly revenue of Rs7.6 million,” stated a press release issued by the CDA.
The five sites include, G-5 near Serena Hotel, auctioned for Rs 2.1 million per month; F-8, also auctioned for Rs2.1 million per month; F-9 Park, auctioned for Rs1.45 million; G-11, auctioned for Rs1.1 million and G-8, auctioned for Rs 900,000.
The successful bidders are required to complete construction within 45 days.
The press release said CDA Chairman Mohammad Ali Randhawa and acting chairman Talat Mahmood expressed satisfaction over the successful outcome of the auction.
“CDA achieved optimal market value for these prime sports facilities through a process that was completely transparent and competitive, fulfilling our core objective of maximising public resource utilisation for the benefit of the citizens of Islamabad,” the press release stated.
Acting Chairman CDA Talat Mahmood Gondal said the initiative aligns perfectly with the broader vision of promoting a healthy, active lifestyle among residents by facilitating private sector investment in high-quality sports amenities like padel tennis, which is gaining rapid popularity in Pakistan.
Apart from the five new sites, padel courts had already been set up at two locations — F-6 and the Diplomatic Enclave — under a revenue-sharing model.
“Since the said two sites were already auctioned on a revenue-sharing basis, we cannot legally reverse those contracts. However, going forward, CDA will opt for fixed rent models for other sports facilities,” said an official, adding that the CDA will soon auction sites for futsal as well.
Reference Link:- https://www.dawn.com/news/1920644
Zamir Ahmed Awan is the founder and Chair of the Global Silk Route Research Alliance, a think tank in Islamabad. He studied engineering at Shanghai University in the 1980s, and years later he went back to China as Pakistan's science counsellor in Beijing, from 2010 until 2016, working on science and higher education cooperation between the two countries.…
