By Moin Ullah Shah
KARACHI: The Sindh government has decided to carry out a comprehensive survey of historic and heritage buildings across the province, officials said on Monday.
The decision was taken at a meeting of the cultural heritage consultative committee chaired by the chief secretary of Sindh, Asif Haider Shah. The meeting was attended by the secretaries for culture and for works and services, the director general of the Sindh Building Control Authority, and the director general of the department of archaeology.
Committee member Hamid Haroon, noted archaeologist Dr Kaleemullah Lashari and architectural consultant Suhail Ahmed Kalhoro were also present.
Briefing the meeting, the chief secretary said the last province-wide survey of heritage buildings was conducted in 2017, during which 3,371 structures were declared heritage properties. He said that with the passage of time it had become essential to reassess the current condition of these buildings, identify additional heritage sites and ensure their effective protection.
The meeting also decided to strengthen the secretariat of the technical committee of the heritage department. It was agreed that competent and qualified officers would be recruited from the market to provide dedicated secretariat support. Participants further agreed to make laws for the protection of heritage buildings stricter and more effective to prevent damage and loss of historic structures across Sindh.
