LARKANA, March 7: The government is likely to revive the National Fund for Moenjodaro (NFM) to look after relics at the site, Moenjodaro curator Irshad Ahmad Rind was told by the director, southern circle of the archaeology department.

Talking to this correspondent, Mr Rind said the government was also considering how to spend funds left with the Federal Culture Ministry after the Authority for the Preservation of Moenjodaro (APM) and the Moenjodaro Conservation Cell (MCC) were abolished.

About Rs71.212 million and Rs27 million savings of the APM and the MCC respectively are lying with the culture department. The ministry has asked the site officer to immediately provide a list of vehicles and other items lying abandoned at the site since the closure of the MCC.

It was learnt on good authority that funds amounting to $0.934 million provided by UNESCO after two agreements signed during 9991-1992 and 991-1994 were still lying unused with the government. Sources said UNESCO had been pressing the government to return the funds as the same had not been spent.

The people connected with the site said in the wake of damages caused by rains to structures during the 2003 monsoon, UNESCO sanctioned $10,000 to the department of archaeology for measures to save the structures from further decay. But the fund was not utilized and had to be returned to UNESCO, they regretted.

They said UNESCO had again offered the federal government a fund of $15,000 to undertake preventive measures before coming monsoon and archaeologists at Moenjodaro had prepared and submitted a plan to the government in this regard.

District Nazim Khurshid Ahmad Junejo has also sent letters to the president, prime minister and other authorities to ensure the preservation of the site. Meanwhile, Dokri Taluka Nazim Aijaz Junejo visited a collapsed wall of the first street of Moenjodaro and called for early repair of the wall.