KARACHI, Sept 10: The Sindh Culture Department has asked the National Academy of Performing Arts to explain what kind of construction work it was carrying out in the premises of Hindu Gymkhana, which is protected under the Sindh Cultural Heritage (Protection) Act 1994, it is learnt here reliably.

The sources said that the NAPA, which was carrying out illegal construction in the gymkhana for past many weeks, had finally stopped its unauthorized construction in the site protected under the Heritage Act.

According to the sources, nobody, including the owner, could carry out any kind of repairs and construction activities at the site protected under the Act, which prescribes long prison terms and heavy fines on violators. An NOC from the advisory committee on cultural heritage, which is headed by the chief secretary, is required before carrying out any such activity in a protected site.

The sources said that the culture department has written a letter to the NAPA administrator on the subject of “Illegal construction of Hindu Gymkhana.”

The letter states that it has come to the notice of the culture department through press that some construction has been started in the Hindu Gymkhana without approval of the competent authority. In this respect, the letter refers to the reports published in Dawn on April 17 and July 29 as well as in Star on July 24.

It says: “It would be appreciated that being our tenant, you kindly intimate this department that what kind of construction work has been started in the premises of the Hindu Gymkhana. Hindu Gymkhana is a protected property under Sindh Cultural Heritage (Protection) Act 1994 (the terms & condition # 3 of the agreement is relevant). In this connection, a copy of the Sindh Cultural Heritage Act is enclosed for your guidance,” the culture department’s letter concludes.

The sources said that the Sindh Culture Department had given the Seth Ramgopal Goverdhandas Mohatta Hindu Gymkhana to the NAPA, which wanted to start the construction of a new theater in the premises, an activity which was not allowed under the Act. However, the project could not be started as no funds were available.

The NAPA later managed to get sponsorship for the theater project from the United Arab Emirates government, but the UAE and its contractors were not ready to start the construction without the permission from the relevant government departments.

The sources said that the NAPA managed to get the permission for “addition/ alteration” from the Karachi Building Control Authority.

In case of the building protected under the Heritage Act, the KBCA was not authorized to give any such permission for “addition / alteration” without the approval of culture department. However, the KBCA illegally issued the permission for “addition / alteration.”

The NAPA and the UAE contractors after getting this KBCA permission demolished an old open air theater, which was an integral part of the Hindu Gymkhana. Later, they started the construction of basement, ground, plus 50-feet high new theater building at the site of the demolished old theater.

The sources said that culture department officials took time to issue the letter to the NAPA though the Hindu Gymkhana was hardly a few hundred metres away from the department’s secretariat.

The sources said that the KBCA also on its part had cancelled the “alteration / addition” permission that it had given to the NAPA. On the directive of the KBCA, the NAPA finally stopped the illegal construction, the sources added.