HYDERABAD, Nov 15: Office -bearers and members of the Ladies Club, Hirabad students of the school run by the club and social activists here on Tuesday broke the locks of the main gate and took over the club’s possession.

Officials of the Evacuee Trust Property with the help of police had sealed the club by force three days back and taken over its possession after ejecting the staff and office-bearers from the premises.

The action of the Evacuee Trust Property had created a lot of resentment among people who broke open the door and re-took its possession.

They staged a protest sit-in and observed a token hunger strike outside the club.

The club was set up by a group of Hindu women in the 1940’s to promote social, cultural and welfare activities.

It was named Nari Sabha and was built in memory of Chattur Bai Advani as his son had made a major contribution for construction of the club.

According to reports, the evacuee department had planned to hand over the premises to the builders’ mafia for construction of a multi-storey commercial building.

As soon as the lock of the club was broken, the enthusiastic students entered the premises and raised full-throated slogans against builders’ mafia.

Speaking on the occasion, members of the club said that they would not allow the mafia to take over the historic building.

They said that the people of the city would themselves protect their national heritage.

The office-bearers of the club scheduled a meeting of the governing body and warned that if anyone tried again to take over the club, people would resist them.

Police reached the spot but did not intervene.

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Heritage Preservation and Promotion Society at a meeting held here on Tuesday took strong exception to usurpation of the Ladies Club by the authorities.

The meeting which was presided over by Momin Bullo appealed to the civil society to protect the club.

It called upon the Sindh chief minister and high-ups of the culture department to take notice of the growing trend of encroachment over pre-partition, historic and architectural monuments of the city.

The meeting demanded that the designs of the builders’ mafia be thwarted to take over the possession of the historic buildings.

It also resolved to file a constitutional petition in the Sindh High Court against the threats posed to the historical monuments.