SIALKOT, Nov 11: The district administration is awaiting a federal government go ahead to restore and preserve the 148 years old national heritage, Iqbal Manzil, the birthplace of Allama Iqbal.

Sialkot DCO Capt Atta Muhammad Khan (retired) disclosed this while talking to newsmen during his visit to Iqbal Manzil on Tuesday.

To restore the building to its original shape, the DCO said the administration had already got it surveyed by architects and civil engineers. Some of the engineers, he said, had expressed the apprehension that the Manzil, if it not protected, could collapse in a year or so.

He said the restoration plan prepared in the light of the survey was sent for approval to the federal government through the provincial government. The federal government, he said, rather stopped the Sialkot administration from taking in hand any restoration work.

The DCO said the restoration did not require a big sum which could easily be generated by the local administration

Meanwhile, a Faisalabad-based jeweler and member of the Faisalabad District Council, Shafqat Ali Rana, has offered to bear the Iqbal Manzil restoration cost, it is learnt.