KARACHI, Feb 23: The Advisory Committee for Sindh Cultural Heritage has recommended amendments in The Sindh Rented Premises Ordinance 1979 as a token of incentives to the owners of protected buildings and minimise the rampant violations of heritage laws, sources told Dawn.

According to sources, the advisory committee in its last meeting considered various aspects of preservation of cultural heritage. The review of violations of the heritage laws brought under focus the punitive clauses and it was then realised that besides the enhancement of fines, to a level that it is be market value related, there was also need to consider easements to be provided to the owners of properties as incentives, which are enlisted under the Heritage (Preservation) Act.

The sources said the Sindh Rented Premises Ordinance 1979 came up for discussion and the Advisory Committee for Sindh Cultural Heritage recommended that the government be moved to make suitable amendments to make matters easy for the owners of the old buildings, which are declared protected under the Sindh Cultural Heritage (Preservation) Act 1994.

Other well placed sources in the provincial culture department when asked to comment said it was observed in the meeting that as the issue of preserving these buildings, was binding on the owners under the said act, but some of these premises were given on rent since a long time and the rents were not consonant with prevailing market values in most of the cases.

They said because the rents were much less than the market value, some times a situation arose where the owners and landlords found that it was detrimental to their personal interest to preserve these old structures.

The Advisory Committee asked the secretary culture to prepare a summary for the government suggesting some amendments in The Sindh Rented Premises Ordinance 1979.

In the amendments the Advisory Committee recommended a raise of up to 500 percent in the rent where in the rent had not been increased in the last 15 years. Further raise can be claimed/requested under Section 8 of the Ordinance.

The new rule will be applicable to the premises which are declared or enlisted protected premises under Sindh Cultural Heritage (Preservation) Act 1994.