LARKANA, Feb 27: The Moenjodaro Conservation and Research Cell has initiated preservation work, following appointment of a director for the world heritage site by the ministry of culture.

Sources told Dawn on Sunday that site director Dr Enricofodde had studied the previous works and was working on a plan to carry out the conservation work. The director-general of the department of archaeology, Fazaldad Kakar, told this correspondent that Safdar Pathan had been appointed the director of the MCRC.

When asked about the fate of interviewed candidates for the post, he said the executive board of the National Fund for Moenjodaro had rejected them because they did not meet criteria.

The sources said the candidates for the seat were interviewed following an advertisement appeared on Sept 19 2004. After being short-listed, they were called for final selection in Islamabad on Dec 8. But the interviews were cancelled.

A Quaid-i-Azam University graduate, Sikandar Hulio, who was called for the final interview said the interviews were postponed without mentioning any reason. It may be mentioned that the conservation work stretched over 15 years for which an amount of Rs100 million had been allocated.

The amount was carried forward to the National Fund for Moenjodaro following the abolition of the Authority for the Preservation of Moenjodaro. The MCRC will host a two-phased international training workshop on conservation on March 8 in Islamabad.

The second phase will begin from March 13 to 27 at Moenjodaro, the DG archaeology said. The whole project will focus on conservation, tourist facilities and setting up of an archaeological park, he said.

WOMAN KILLED: A man shot dead his wife in Murad Shah Colony on Saturday. Lahano Umrani came to the house of his in-laws and asked her wife Kariman to accompany her at around 3am. She and her brother Sikandar suggested taking her in the early morning which enraged the man. He fired and killed her and escaped.