LAHORE: After the success of Johar Town community centre, the Punjab government plans to develop 12 such centres one each in National Assembly constituency in the city at a cost of Rs7 billion.

According to the plan, the government would provide land and finances and the Lahore Development Authority (LDA) through its subordinate Trafhc Engineering and Planning Agency (Tepa) would execute the plan.

An LDA official claimed popularity ofLAHORE: After the success of Johar Town community centre, the Punjab government plans to develop 12 such centres one each in National Assembly constituency in the city at a cost of Rs7 billion.

According to the plan, the government would provide land and finances and the Lahore Development Authority (LDA) through its subordinate Trafhc Engineering and Planning Agency (Tepa) would execute the plan.

An LDA official claimed popularity ofthe centre encouraged the government to replicate it in all 12 National Assembly constituencies in the city before the next general elections. The government might get political benefit out of it, but such centres are important for a modern city life, he said.

The Punjab government has spared over 400 kanal in all constituencies and already released Rs1.5 billion for the project. The centres would comprise separate gymnasiums for men and women as well as table tennis, squash, basketball, lawn tennis and badminton courts for both genders.

Separate walkways, jogging tracks,swimming pools and play areas for children would also be provided.

`The process has started and is expected to be completed by March 2018, as planned by the provincial government,` the of ficial said.

`The government may be concerned only with the political advantage but the common man, especially women and children, needs such facilities in their vicinities,` said Haji Shabbir from Johar Town.

Ever since the sports centre opened, it has become an active social spot where men and women enjoy evenings in a safe and secure environment. All over the world, such facilities are part of housingschemes. The government should ensure all new housing schemes have such elaborate sports facilities for residents, he suggested.

`But there is a downside to this as well, said Tahir Mahmood from the same area.

Enjoying the facility is costly. The membership alone costs hundreds of thousands.

Then there is the monthly fee. All this had been done to keep membership limited and make the facility elitist. This must be avoided, he added.

If the government wanted to keep these facilities exclusive then it must create others for the lower-middle and lower classes, he advised.