MULTAN, Dec 30: The building of Clock Tower is being handed over to the archaeology department owing to its historical importance, and the department will establish a museum in it after extension and beautification.

This was stated by Commissioner Syed Muhammad Ali Gardezi who presided over a meeting for conservation of cultural heritage of Multan on Tuesday.

He said after the step-wise restoration of the building citizens of Multan would be contacted for acquisition of cultural assets. He said the Punjab government had provided funds for the extension of Clock Tower Chowk and purging it of encroachments.

District Coordination Officer Fazeel Asghar said the Clock Tower building would be handed over to the archaeology department after approval by the district council.

Encroachments in shape of a house and some shops would be removed and a parking area would be established at the site. He said a katchi abadi would be shifted from outside Qila Qasim Bagh Park to Soraj Miani where the land had been acquired.

He said the federal and provincial archaeology departments had been asked to provide list of archaeological sites to avoid any duplication in development process.

Archaeology Department Director Shahbaz Khan said the provincial government had provided Rs10 million for the establishment of museum for which he would submit a plan within 15 days of handing over of the building.