KARACHI, Nov 9: The Sindh government has once again directed the State Bank of Pakistan not to carry out any work in its old State Bank of India building, which is protected under the Sindh Cultural Heritage Protection Act, before getting the mandatory permissions.

Sources said the latest order was issued by the Karachi Building Control Authority -- which had earlier directed the SBP to stop work it was carrying out without the mandatory NOC and permissions from the relevant government departments -- after the bank responded to the KBCA’s earlier directive and said it had applied for the mandatory NOC/permissions.

The sources said nobody, including the owner, could carry out any kind of repairs, restoration, addition, alteration in a building protected under the act, which prescribes long prison terms and heavy fines for violators.

The NOC by the Advisory Committee on Cultural Affairs, headed by the provincial chief secretary, is required before carrying out any work in a protected building. Besides, an approval by the KBCA is also required before carrying out any alteration and addition in any building in the city.

The sources said though the SBP did not have either of the mandatory NOC and permission, it was implementing its project through its newly-appointed director Dr Asma Ibrahim under the overall guidance of the bank governor, Dr Shamshad Akhtar, to establish a monetary museum in the imposing sandstone building situated next to the SBP head office on I. I. Chundrigar Road.

The sources said that the project implementers had not bothered to get the mandatory NOC/permission owing to the friendship between them and some of the advisory committee members. The bank also wrote a letter, reportedly a back-dated one, to the advisory committee seeking permission only after a report appeared in the media.

The sources said the KBCA had earlier directed the SBP not to carry out its project until it obtained the mandatory NOC and permission from the relevant government organizations.

Responding to the KBCA directive, the SBP in its letter said the bank was aware of its responsibility of keeping the historical building in good and original condition and as such no addition/alteration work was under planning.

The bank desired to set up a monetary museum in its old building, therefore, wanted to carry out conservation measures from inside the building to restore it to its original condition, and the bank had applied to the advisory committee for the permission, the SBP letter said.

The KBCA in its latest communication to the SBP says: “…. You are advised not to carry out any addition/alteration and renovation work till grant of permission/NOC from the Culture Department and also by this authority.”

Outhouse

The sources said that the SBP had already changed the windows of one of the outhouses of the old SBI building, which originally had wooden frames, and replaced them with modern-looking aluminium ones, besides carrying out some addition in the outhouse – which now serves as the security officials’ room near the main entrance of the old SBI building. The outhouse has also been painted with colour, though conservationists stress that sandstones buildings are not painted as it ruins the natural beauty of sandstone.

The sources urged the authorities to institute a high-level inquiry to find out why it had been done, and direct the bank to restore the old heritage structure to its original condition.

The old State Bank of India operated in this sandstone building even after partition, but later when the relations between India and Pakistan became strained the Indian bank pulled down its shutters and the imposing sandstone building after remaining closed for a long period was handed over to the State Bank of Pakistan by the government of Pakistan.

The SBP used the building for its various departments, including the foreign exchange control department. Later the bank’s library was shifted from the SBP head office, located next door, to this old building and now the SBP is in the process of establishing a monetary museum in the building.