LAHORE, May 12: The Punjab Information Department has reportedly agreed to allow the Conservation and Rehabilitation Centre of Lahore (CRC) to carry out research and documentation of the Uch Sharif shrines with the condition of evaluating the study to know how the actual preservation of the sites could be carried out.

The CRC has already prepared a conservation master plan for the restoration of the monuments under a $68,000 assistance given by the World Monument Fund in 1998.

According to officials in the department which heads the provincial archaeological directorate, CRC chief Yasmeen Cheema had recently approached it for a permission to conduct the research and documentation.

But, they said, she was informed of the condition whereby the department would like to evaluate the study as to how the actual conservation and preservation could be carried out.

They claimed that various options and proposals in this regard were under consideration of the provincial government and the department was also focussing on developing infrastructure and facilities in the town of Uch through funds of the district and tehsil governments.

They said that modalities of the actual restoration work on the basis of studies by the archaeology department and inputs from NGOs would be worked out in due course of time.