THATTA, April 4 Thatta DCO Manzoor Ali Shaikh has said that a sum of Rs4,360.249 million has been earmarked for 854 ongoing and new development schemes in the district.

Briefing 27 under-training officers of the National Management College Lahore on Friday, who were on a visit to Thatta in connection with their course, the DCO said that the area had been a hub of learning just a century ago and people from almost every nook and corner of the Muslim world used to come here to receive education in religion, science, and other fields of arts at some 900 madressahs and 400 universities.

He informed the officers that located on the National Highway and some 98 kilometres from Karachi on the right bank of the River Indus, Thatta was spread over 18,000 square kilometres wit a population of 1.746 million and consisting of eight big towns, a city, 720 villages.

It has historical sites like Makli necropolis, Shahjehan Mosque, Sondha graveyard, Bhambhore and shrine of Abdullah Shah Ashabi, he said.