KARACHI: The Sindh Assembly was told on Friday that the culture, tourism and antiquities department did not have funds required for renovation and preservation of protected heritage sites in the province.

Furnishing statements and replies to queries of lawmakers during the Question Hour session in the provincial assembly, Culture, Tourism and Antiquities Minister Syed Sardar Ali Shah said that there should be an endowment fund for the conservation of national heritage as the department did not have money for the task.

Replying to a question asked by Grand Democratic Alliance’s member Nusrat Sehar Abbasi on behalf of her alliance member Arif Mustafa Jatoi, the minister said that the defunct Hotel Metropole was notified as a protected heritage site under the Sindh Cultural Heritage (Preservation) Act, 1994.

He said that the building was not demolished, but it was neglected by the owner.

“It is the responsibility of the owner to maintain his building,” he added.

‘It is the owner’s responsibility to maintain defunct Hotel Metropole notified as protected site’

Responding to a supplementary question, the minister said that there was a need to amend the law for effectively conserving protected buildings.

He said that the offence of causing damage to a protected building involved imprisonment up to the term of three years and fine of Rs100,000.

23 public libraries in Sindh

Replying to another question asked by Ms Abbasi on behalf of Mr Jatoi, who did not attend the session, Mr Shah said that there were 23 public libraries in the province.

Giving details, he said three public libraries were in Karachi, two in Hyderabad, four in Khairpur, three in Larkana, and one each in Badin, Matiari, Dadu, Jamshoro, Thatta, Mirpurkhas, Shikarpur, Jacobabad, Qambar Shahdadkot, Naushahro Feroze and Sanghar.

Replying to a supplementary question asked by Mohammad Hussain of the MQM, the minister said that the department did not have land for establishing new libraries in Karachi. “We can set up more libraries in the city if we get land,” he said.

Opposition Leader Firdous Shamim Naqvi rose to ask a supplementary question, but suggested to the minister to set up computer libraries equipped with internet connection.

The minister said that digitisation of books was part of the department’s scheme and it would be implemented soon.

Javed Hanif of the MQM also rose to ask a supplementary question but gave a suggestion that libraries could be set up in one or two rooms of schools in different localities.

Responding to a question, he said that the subject ‘motion picture’ had been devolved to provinces and Sindh had enacted its own law titled Sindh Motion Picture Act, 2011.

“Now the Sindh Board of Film Censors is working independently at provincial level and the Central Board of Film Censors is limited to Islamabad,” he added.

Answering a written query of PTI’s Khurram Sher Zaman, the minister said that no investigation pertaining to Rs160 million alleged corruption in preservation of the archaeological site of Moenjodaro was being conducted by the National Accountability Bureau.

Dr Seema Zia of the PTI suggested that a separate section of science books should be set up in libraries.

As most of the opposition members forwarded their suggestions when they were allowed to ask supplementary questions on the written questions, Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani repeatedly reminded them that they were not supposed to give suggestions and make speeches during Question Hour under the assembly rules.

When Mr Sher Zaman of the PTI rose to ask his question, he pointed out the lack of quorum in the assembly, which, however, emerged complete after the counting of the members present in the house.

“You have wasted 10 minutes unnecessarily,” an irritated speaker told the PTI member.

Published in Dawn, May 4th, 2019