Islamabad awaits stadium groundbreaking after rebate — Dawn

In Islamabad, Pakistan, a groundbreaking ceremony for a new cricket stadium at the foothills of the Margalla Hills is expected in the coming days. The Capital Development Authority of Pakistan (CDA) and the contractor have settled a dispute over the bid amount and agreed on a rebate of 400 million rupees, Dawn reports.

Contract terms

The estimated project cost under the PC-I document was 11.9 billion rupees. The lowest bid, amounting to 8.9 billion rupees, was submitted by the Habib-ZKB-EA joint venture. The CDA insisted on a rebate before the groundbreaking ceremony, while the construction company said it had submitted its bid in March and that prices for diesel fuel, petrol and other goods had risen since then.

CDA Environment Member Abdullah Khurram Niazi confirmed that a 400 million rupee rebate had been received and said the stadium groundbreaking ceremony could take place within a few days. The access road from Margalla Road to the construction site has already been completed.

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Parameters of the future arena

According to CDA officials, the stadium will have three tiers, stand more than 25 meters tall and accommodate over 35,000 spectators. The first phase includes the construction of the stadium and about three kilometers of roads. The second phase is planned to include landscaping, electrical works and field preparation, including the installation of cricket pitches.

The site is located near Sector D-12 in Zone III, where construction is generally prohibited. The CDA says sports and recreational facilities are permitted in this zone. Representatives of the Pakistan Cricket Board expressed hope of completing the project and putting the arena into operation before the 2028 ICC Women's T20 World Cup in order to host some of the matches there.