Official lethargic delays EOU based sports zone

Sialkot: Despite a piece of land for Rs 4 crore was already purchased on Sialkot-Daska road, the 'Sports industries Development Centre' (SIDC) project in Sialkot costing Rs 270 million is in the doldrums while its PC-1 was prepared in early 2006.

The federal government initiated the project aiming to resolve the problems confronting by the soccer ball industry of Sialkot and for its modernisation.

It seems that the project has been handed over to an incompetent project director who is drawing handsome salary besides enjoying other facilities however was totally reluctant to bring it out of the paperwork. Meanwhile, the business community especially, the soccer ball manufacturers and exporters were facing multifarious problems due to non-availability of the facility of modern technology to manufacture machine made soccer ball.

The concept of setting up of SIDC in this export-oriented city and hub of cottage industry was to help in upgradation of sports goods industry especially, the soccer ball manufacturers enabling them to cope with the new challenges of global market. It may be mentioned that the soccer ball manufacturers are facing serious threats in the form of 'Thermo-Molded Ball' that uses medium end technology to produce a ball having most of the characteristics of hand stitched ball.

In addition to this, the major role of the SIDC was to introduce thermo-bonded ball technology in Sialkot industry and provide technical skill, trained labour force, reverse engineering prototype development and mould making services. It was also designed to disseminate new technology of mechanised ball to sports goods sector, which is threatening to the hand stitched inflatable soccer ball. The sports goods sector of Sialkot is the main export sector of the city with a total export of about US $350 million per annum.

The city is catering 85 percent of total world demand of hand stitched inflatable balls, which means around 40 million balls annually worth US 210 million dollars. Meanwhile, the soccer ball exporters and manufacturers have appealed to the government to hold probe into the delay of the project. They also demanded an inquiry into the hiring of such an incompetent Project Director for the SIDC.