KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah has directed the culture department to coordinate with district and divisional administrations to remove encroachments around heritage buildings and restore them to their original glory.

He wondered “how the encroachments are allowed to appear at and around heritage buildings and sites”, and directed the administration concerned to “take all necessary measures to remove the encroachments within 15 days and report compliance”.

He issued these directives while presiding over a meeting of the culture department at CM House on Wednesday where he was given a presentation by special assistant to chief minister on culture Sharmila Farooqui and culture department secretary Niaz Abbasi about the measures being taken to protect and preserve the cultural heritage.

The chief minister was also briefed on the plans to run double-deck buses and launch ferry services for visitors and tourists to the beaches and the Indus river.

Those present at the meeting included principal secretary to the CM Alamuddin Bullo, additional chief secretary (dev) Mohammad Waseem and finance secretary Sohail Rajput.

Referring to the encroachments on and around the heritage buildings, the chief minister said that he had personally witnessed encroachments and illegal occupations around cultural monuments, including Shahjehan Mosque and Makli Hills in Thatta, near Masoom Shah’s Minar and Lakhian Jo Daro in Sukkur, Chowkandi graveyard in Karachi and Pacca Qila in Hyderabad.

He directed his principal secretary to take up the matter with the divisional and district administrations to seek their cooperation with the culture department in removing the encroachments.

During the presentation, Sharmila Farooqui said 11 schemes would be completed by the end of June 2016. Those schemes included preservation of the Chitori graveyard in Mirpurkhas, Khairpur State Museum, Sindhi Cultural Village in Karachi, the old Mukhtiarkar building in Shikarpur, the Rani Kot cultural complex, rehabilitation of wooden road of Shahi Bazaar, Shikarpur, construction of a resort at the Baqar lake, conservation of the Thatta and Karachi press club buildings, construction of a visitors facility at Makli, conversion of the zoo garden into a natural science museum in Tando Mohammad Khan and establishment of tourist information centres at divisional headquarters.

Giving details of the cultural village project, she said the village was under construction at the National Museum in Karachi for Rs30 million. Under the scheme, Landhis (wooden house/structure), Chaunra (igloo-type Thari houses) and construction of a bazaar with traditional material and design with a raised platform, bamboo cladding and brick flooring had almost been completed.

Likewise, Ms Farooqi said a scheme for the rehabilitation of the wooden roof of Shahi Bazaar in Shikarpur had been launched for Rs54.7 million. This bazaar is about one kilometre long and has a wooden roof. In the roof teakwood has been used. It is about 100 years old. People locally call it `Dhak (covered) Bazaar’, she added.

The CM directed her to rehabilitate old shops and cover the open drain running along the bazaar. “You can generate some funds from the shopkeepers,” he suggested.

Giving details of the ongoing projects, culture secretary Niaz Abbasi said the scheme to restore the Chitori graveyard in Mirpurkhas was approved in 2014-15 with an allocation of Rs55.11m for the conservation of 12 tombs on which so far 99 per cent work had been completed while 90pc work on the Khairpur museum building project, costing Rs 41.408m, had also been completed.

Work on the restoration of the old Mukhtiarkar building in Shikarpur was in progress at a cost of Rs44.61m for conservation of the main building, servant quarters, a kitchen and construction of toilets and a compound wall. This 100-year-old building may be converted into a club.

He said on directions of the CM, district heritage committees, under deputy commissioners, had been constituted to look after the restored buildings, keep visiting the buildings to stop encroachments, maintain a directory of the building mean areas, measurement, rooms, toilets, doors quality of wood and such other items. The CM directed all the deputy commissioners to follow the instructions as those committees had been constituted on his orders.

Regarding the Rani Kot cultural complex, the secretary said it was a Rs32m project which included construction of its compound wall, sheds, a water tank and arrangements for drinking water. The project is near completion.

Likewise, he said, the Baqar lake resort project in Sanghar had a budgetary allocation of Rs28.6m.

Under the scheme, construction of resorts, quarters and a compound wall with iron gates have been undertaken.

The secretary said the restoration of the Thatta and Karachi press club projects had been started at Rs17.2m. The buildings of both the press clubs are historical. The restoration of the Thatta press club had been completed while 60pc of the Karachi Press Club building had been restored.

Mr Abbasi said that the project of construction of a museum, upgrade of visitors facility at Makli had been launched for Rs53.2m. Under the plan, the museum building, compound wall, external development, water tanks, soil testing and electrification works had been undertaken. Over 30pc work had been completed.

He said that besides double-deck buses, two 50-seat boats were being purchased for visitors. One boat would be kept at the Beach Site near the KPT to show the visitors sea-sites of Karachi and the other one at Sukkur, near Lab-i-Mehran, from where it would take the visitors and sail them in the Indus up to Rohri. Both the boats would provide ferry service.

Niaz Abbasi also said that six archaeological and cultural monument centres were also being established — two in Karachi, one at Makli, one at Bhambhore, one at Moenjodaro, and one at Kot Diji, where crystal, wooden, bronze, brass and pottery souvenirs would be put on display and for sale. The souvenirs would contain the impressions/carving of cultural monuments like Moenjodaro, Tambooro (one-string instrument of Shah Bhitai) and the tomb of Bhit Shah.

The CM appreciated the culture department’s efforts and urged its officials to ensure quality work and in time, too.

Published in Dawn, February 25th, 2016