Work on installation of blue turf starts

LAHORE, Dec 14: Finally, Punjab government after a two-year delay has started work to lay down a new blue coloured Astroturf at the National Hockey Stadium here on Friday.

“The laying of the turf at the world’s largest hockey stadium began here yesterday and continued even during intermittent rains,” said an official statement issued the Sports Board Punjab.

“The Dutch experts, who have specially come to Pakistan supervised the work,” it further stated.

It is to be noted that Pakistan team needed the turf in the lead-up to the 2012 London Games to have some practice before leaving for London, but the team failed to do so with the Sports Board Punjab and then contractor developing differences.

The Punjab government released Rs35million some two years back aiming to complete the work by December 2010.