SIALKOT, Nov 8: The ageing Iqbal Manzil, the birthplace of Allama Muhammad Iqbal, has still received nothing but another verbal commitment of saving it from collapse.

Punjab Industries Minister Muhammad Ajmal Cheema visited the historic Iqbal Manzil the other day and promised to bear the expenditure of its repairs, renovation and preservation. The minister had previously paid a visit to the site two years ago and made a similar promise, but the building has yet to undergo transformation.

Expressing grave concern over its state, the minister has this time announced conversion of the Iqbal Manzil into a research centre. Among other works promised are carpeting of all the rooms and replacement of the worn-out electricity supply system.

Two years ago on Nov 9, the minister, along with Muhammad Akmal Cheema, the then Sialkot tehsil nazim, had visited the crumbling building and they announced its immediate renovation from their pockets. They also took exception to the negligence of the authorities concerned and underscored the need for adopting measures to save the building.

The successive district administrations, too, have failed to allocate even a penny for the project. The Tehsil Municipal Administration remained equally blind to the status of the national heritage, as it ignored the building in the Rs550 million budget it had announced for the current fiscal.

The commitments made by the business community from time to time to contribute to the Manzil’s renovation have yet to be honoured.

According to some architects, only 0.5 million rupees are required for saving the crumbling Iqbal Manzil.

As with every other building, the last month’s earthquake jolted the Iqbal Manzil in the city’s congested Mohallah Kashmirian. Its cracks have widened and the interior looks like a picture of neglect.

Not to forget that nearly 150-year-old building was pledged to be renovated by the resolution by the district council four years ago. It still stands out as a symbol of official apathy and step-motherly treatment meted out to it.

People used to visit the place until a few years ago, but now the historic site attracts hardly any one.