THE recent decision by the Sukkur district local government authorities to establish an institute of higher learning in the town, as reported on Oct 30, `Women varsity in Sukkur Soon`, is deserving of praise.

This institution will facilitate women to have advanced education close to their home towns.

The advanced learning is bound to bring positive changes in this most significant part of society hitherto neglected and at times maltreated, especially in the tribal-ridden culture of upper Sindh.

However, locating varsity permanently in the premises of Government Girls Degree College, Sukkur, which is itself imparting education to large numbers of girls of the area is not advisable.

The district government should construct a new campus building for the university on the pattern of the Institute of Business Administration, Sukkur, which is successfully running on the outskirt of the town, with the collaboration of the IBA, Karachi.

It is, therefore, proposed that a plan should be prepared in cooperation with the Sindh University for which the Higher Education Commission may also be approached for funds and expertise to set up a new campus with modern facilities such as IT laboratory, functional library and gymnasium at some suitable site of the town.

I further suggest that the district nazim should also look into the pathetic state of affairs prevailing in Sukkur, once considered to be one of the cleannest and environmentally healthy cities of the country.

At present the overall civic amenities are in tatters because of neglect/non-maintenance and degradation of the infrastructure.

Roads within the town are almost in ruins, sewerage lines are mostly chocked and gutters overflow in every street and no building control regulations have been observed.

Multi-storeyed buildings have mushroomed, even narrow lanes are not spared, making the approaches impassable and the lives of residents miserable.

The builders` mafia, whose prime object is to mint huge profits with minimum cost, with the connivance of officials concerned, has even devoured open spaces such as parks and playgrounds and tuned the town into a mass of cement and steel.

Last 10 to 15 years` neglect, collaboration and misuse of funds have turned entire Sukkur into a huge slum for which now Herculean efforts are required to clean the mess.

I request for special attention of the district nazim, who is at the head of the affairs of the town since the creation of the new system of city government.

I also invite attention of the members of civil society and non-governmental organisations to wake up from slumber and make sure that Sukkur, once a beautiful township and hub of socio-cultural activities in entire upper Sindh, which also produced many names in the field of art and culture, is restored to its pristine grandeur.

MANZOOR H. KURESHI

Karachi