MIRPURKHAS, Sept 28: Shopkeepers and inhabitants took out a rally in Umerkot on Friday to protest against the issuance of show-cause notices to demolish their houses and shops within three days by Mukhtiarkar, Umerkot.

Protestors raised slogans against the district government and Archaeological Department and staged sit-in in outside the DCO Office, Umerkot which led to the suspension of traffic at Umerkot-Mirpurkhas Road for about an hour.

They said that they were paying rent for last many years to Taluka Municipal Administra-tion and with their businesses settled over there. They deplored that the DCO Office and other offices were also situated in the protective area of 200 feet around the historical fort but show-cause notices had been issued to them only.

They said the fort does not exist in revenue record and show-cause notices issued by the Mukhtiarkar Revenue Umerkot have no weight in the eyes of law. They said such a step will render many shopkeepers unemployed and inhabitants shelterless on the pretext of encroachment. They claimed a large number of shops were constructed before enforcement of the Antiquities Act.

They alleged the residencies situated inside the historical fort and other influential have not been issued show-cause notices. They warned that they would offer resistance if the authorities tried to demolish their houses and shops.