KARACHI, Feb 6: The government has decided to preserve the historical cantilever bridge on the River Indus joining Rohri and Sukkur and a six-storey Kanahyya Lal Building near the bridge.

The bridge known as Lansdowne Bridge named after the then Governor General Lord Lansdowne was built in 1889. It is a suspension bridge with no pillars between its 200 feet span with a total length of 820 feet.

The decision was taken by a high-level meeting at the Sindh government secretariat chaired by Chief Secretary Fazalur Rehman who formed a committee of experts, including road and bridge specialist Mian Abdul Khaliq and representatives of Pakistan Railways and Karachi Shipyard, and directed them to visit the bridge and the building and submit a report within a week.

He directed the committee to suggest measures for its look-after and repair work and display a notice near the bridge warning people that the structure could not sustain heavy vehicles.

He asked the director general of Special Projects to earmark funds in the current budget to purchase the building from its present occupants so that it could be preserved.