DADU, Oct 8: A three-member committee of engineers has detected six defects in the newly-built shrine of Qalandar Lal Shahbaz and directed the National Construction Company to remove the faults.

The phase-wise construction work of the shrine complex was initiated at a cost of Rs198 million and it has not been completed in nine years. The committee comprised the EDO works and services, Mr Mohammad Ali Memon, the district officer education works department, Mr Pero Mal, and the executive engineer Sindh highways.

The report was sent to the Sindh government and the Senate chairman. The faults detected include a lack of any drainage system, absence of the main Katahro (ring around the grave) and the use of substandard tiles.

Mr Pero Mal said the six faults had been found by the technical committee. He said out of Rs198 million, Rs166 million had been released to the NCL. He said that Rs498 million was allocated to complete development works in which Rs64.99 million had been earmarked for the Dhamal court and the remaining amount for a Nangarkhano, huts and a Bazaar.

He said the work of the Dhamal court was going on and would be completed soon. He said the committee headed by the Sindh secretary tourism and culture visited parts of the shrine complex some five months back and had sent a report through the secretary to the Senate chairman.

Meanwhile, an inquiry was initiated on the directives of Senate chairman Muhammed mian Soomro in Sept 2004 into alleged use of substandard material in the construction work.

A committee comprising six Senators also visited different parts of the Mazar complex few days back and would submit its report to the Senate chairman. The Sindh secretary for Auqaf, Hashim Leghari, told this correspondent that the NCL had been asked to complete the remaining work and remove faults.

He said that the work of the Dhamal Court had been initiated through the Sindh government. It may be mentioned that on the first day of the 752nd annual Urs of Lal Shahbaz, rainwater entered the shrine due to a lack of drainage system.