| ISLAMABAD: It has been over a year since the Capital Development Authority (CDA) first approved rules for a management committee and board of governors to run the Gandhara Heritage Culture and Convention Centre in F-9’s Citizen Club building laying vacant for several years.
However, the club is still not functional owing to its incomplete managing committee. Last year in November, the CDA board decided to add three private members to the centre’s committee.
The federal cabinet has to approve these names, a CDA official said, adding that the centre would start operations soon after the approval. Now, the committee will have seven members - the interior secretary, the National Heritage and Culture Division secretary, the CDA chairman, and the chief commissioner as ex-officio members, while architect Nayyar Ali Dada, former Quaid-i-Azam University VC Dr Mohammad Ali, and poet Iftikhar Arif would be its private members.
Formerly known as the Citizen Club, the facility is spread over 22 acres with a 265,000 square feet covered area, has restaurants, an indoor pool, gym, lobby, aerobic area, and a fitness centre. Its construction was started by the CDA in 2008, but in 2010, the Supreme Court ruled that the building could not be used as a club.
CDA official says Gandhara centre to start functioning after finalisation of managing committee
In October 2021, the CDA board approved rules for the Gandhara centre and decided that a board of governors would manage it and citizens will pay for the facilities provided by the Convention Centre. The facility would also be used for conventions and exhibitions as well. This centre would also have a museum depicting Gandhara’s culture.
The centre will be opened to the public initially for a one-time/lifetime membership fee of Rs500,000. According to the CDA documents, Rs2.5 billion was expected to be generated from the initial lifetime membership of 5,000 patrons which would recover CDA’s investment of Rs2 billion. A monthly subscription fee of Rs2,500 would be charged from patrons.
The documents further said the club would be opened to the public for a monthly subscription fee as well, but the members will have to make a one-time security deposit of Rs50,000 to join the club.
About monthly fees, the documents added, the gymnasium would cost Rs12,000 per month; tennis would cost Rs5,000, and the swimming fee for a month would be Rs5,000 as well. The civic body is expected to generate Rs972 million a year from these services, as per the CDA.
Published in Dawn, January 12th, 2023 |
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