PESHAWAR, Aug 24: Huge cracks have appeared in the upper portion of the 17th century Gor Khuthree monument in the historic Peshawar city.
An official at the Directorate of Archaeology and Museums said the leakage from a water pipe near walls of the upper portion of the monument had caused dampness which led to cracks in the building.
Gor Khuthree has a number of historic structures, including ‘Sarai’ or inns from the Mughal period and a temple from the Sikh period, and the City Development and Municipal Department (CDMD) has been working on the conservation of the historic archaeological site since 2003. The department has also constructed a park and toilets at the centre of the monument.
A survey to the historic site showed that the upper portion, which was to be used as Curator’s House after the conservation, had cracks all over the place. The building is adjacent to the Fire Brigade House established in 1912.
An archaeology department official said that the conservation of this portion was almost complete, but cracks posed threat to the building and nearby residents as the walls could collapse any time.
A CDMD official, who is responsible for the conservation work of Gor Khuthree, admitted that dampness had caused damage to the walls and said these would be demolished and reconstructed soon.
He said that consultants had found out that bricks used in the foundation of the walls had crumbled and needed to be conserved.
The official said that Rs4.6 million had been allocated for the conservation of the monument.
The archaeology department official criticised the CDMD for constructing lawns and a park at the centre of Gor Khuthree.
Since Gor Khuthree was located on a mound, watering the lawns could cause dampness and pose threat to the historic site, he argued. Six toilets constructed by the CDMD also remained dysfunctional because of misuse by the public visiting the monument. One toilet was made dysfunctional by the contractor and labourers as they put stones in it owing to their ignorance of use of the flush system, the official said.
He accused the CDMD of making the toilets dysfunctional before handing them over to the management of Gor Khuthree.
“We feel embarrassed when some official delegation or visitors come to the site and use these toilets,” said Ihsan Ullah, in-charge of Gor Khuthree.
CDMD officials said they would reconstruct these toilets soon.
PESHAWAR, Aug 24: Huge cracks have appeared in the upper portion of the 17th century Gor Khuthree monument in the historic Peshawar city.
