HYDERABAD: The Sindh government seems to have started actively working on the preservation of heritage sites across Hyderabad’s City taluka amid multiple complaints pertaining to violation of the relevant laws.

The officials concerned have started conducting a survey of heritage sites across the taluka and preparing their reports following a meeting chaired by Chief Secretary Syed Asif Hyder Shah four days ago.

The Dec 29 meeting of the ‘Advisory Committee on Cultural Heritage in Sindh’ resolved to launch a province-wide comprehensive survey of heritage buildings in order to strengthen the protection, preservation and documentation of cultural assets.

It was informed that the last survey was conducted in 2017 which had identified and officially designated 3,371 structures as ‘protected heritage properties’.

Monuments of religious, cultural and historical nature are mostly located in the district’s City taluka and its older areas; a total of 3,371 sites across Sindh have already been listed as ‘protected heritage properties’

Lately, a Heritage Preservation Cell was set up in the office of the Assistant Commissioner (AC) City, Syed Noor Hussain, for the uplift, preservation, documentation and promotion of architectural and cultural heritage of Hyderabad’s Old City area.

Its purpose, according to the AC, is to safeguard such heritage for present and future generations. Speaking to Dawn, he said that the cell would function as a dedicated unit for the identification, documentation, mapping, archiving and uplifting such sites within the Hyderabad’s City taluka; and also disseminating all related information to the general public.

Creation of this cell is the first initiative of its kind in the city, at least in the recent past.

The 10-member cell comprises the mukhtiarkar of Hyderabad city, four city surveyors and as many under-training mukhtiarkars.

Heritage sites of religious, cultural and historical nature are mostly located in Hyderabad’s City taluka and the area that forms part of older areas of the city.

The terms of reference (ToRs) for the cell encompass architectural and cultural heritage sites, including but not limited to monuments, historic buildings, bazaars, tombs, shrines, temples and culturally significant sites.

The cell is supposed to identify the sites, prevent encroachments on and facilitate removal of such encroachments from such sites and their immediate surroundings in coordination with the authorities concerned.

It is also supposed to ensure protection of structural integrity, visibility and historical character of such sites and their long term preservation.

The cell will be “documenting heritage sites through photographs, videos, drawings and other appropriate media; and maintain a digitally archived, publicly accessible repository of such documentation”, read the ToRs.

It will also conduct research and document the history of identified heritage sites using documentary evidence, archival records, scholarly sources, oral histories and other reliable references. It will make the collected data, documentation and records publicly available to individuals, researchers, institutions and organisations upon application, subject to applicable rules and regulations. The cell will coordinate with government departments, academic institutions, heritage experts, civil society organisations and other entities for heritage preservation, conservation, research and community uplift.

Violation of Antiquity Act

An official of the culture department told Dawn on Friday that a letter has been addressed to the AC City and the Regional Director of the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) to get stopped the ongoing construction at the protected site of Pucca Qila.

The letter is perhaps yet to reach the AC City, who denied having received the same when asked about it on Friday.

The official citing the letter said: “it is a plot of considerable size where construction is underway and probably the claimant says he has documents from Katchi Abadis [department]”.

The letter read that the fort and its adjoining fortification wall inside and outside fall within the purview of the Antiquity Act and such construction is a clear violation of the Act.

The assistant archaeological engineer/in-charge of the Pucca Fort has requested action to immediately stop the illegal construction work to protect it from further destruction.

Such complaints about destruction of the fort’s wall or illegal construction in or outside the wall have remained common over the years.

Published in Dawn, January 3rd, 2026