March 11, 2008	Tuesday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 2, 1429

SUKKUR, March 10: The director general of archaeology department, Dr Fazal Dad Kakar, has ordered an inquiry into a controversial sale of a plot situated in Lakhian Jo Daro, an archaeological site, near Site Area in Sukkur.

He formed a two-member committee comprised of Sindh and Balochistan director of Archaeology, Dr Mohammad Arif and the regional director of Shah Abdul Latif University Khairpur, Ghulam Mustafa Shar, and asked them to submit a report to him within three days regarding the matter.

According to reports, a plot measuring 1.5 acre at Lakhian Jo Daro had been leased out to a private party for construction of a rice mill without an NOC, and its construction work was in progress, while some precious ancient earthen wares had been discovered during the digging at the site.

Earlier, former Sindh chief minister Arbab Ghulam Rahim had constituted a committee for preservation of newly discovered archaeological site Lakhian Jo Daro and funds of Rs1 million were released for construction of a boundary wall around the plot.

It was said that at that time, the vice chancellor of SALU, Khairpur Dr Nelofar Shaikh was the head of varsity’s archaeology department, and the entire progress of this case was in her knowledge.

While talking to Dawn on telephone, Mr Kakar said that he had asked the inquiry team to determine when this plot was leased out to the party, and the nature of violation of the archaeological rules prevalent in the country.

He has also asked them to construct boundary wall around the site and depute security guards and also start the archaeological research on the site.

When Sindh Archaeology Secretary Kaleemullah Lashari contacted, he said, his department will also review the matter and if there was any foul play in the sale, then the government will acquire the plot and the owner will be given alternative plot in the Site Area.

An officer of SALU, Haider Ali Gaad, said that at a meeting it was decided that a boundary wall will be raised around the plots which has a total area of 14 acres.

Assistant Engineer Site Mohammad Hanif Junejo has said that they were preparing a case of these plots, which will be submitted to Managing Director Abdul Rasheed Solangi for taking a final decision.

The Lakhian Jo Daro site was discovered in 2007 and was also visited by former chief minister Arbab Ghulam Rahim, after which the Archaeology Department of Sindh, Site Sukkur Administration, district government of Sukkur and the archaeology department of SALU, Khairpur, had entered into an agreement for further excavation of 14 acres area, because of its historical and archaeological value.

Meanwhile, a water connection has been approved to this plot, and if the rice mill’s construction was allowed to continue, it might damage the historical site.