KARACHI, May 6: Despite allocation of funds for renovation and repair of educational institutions’ buildings of historical importance in the province, the work, which was to be undertaken under annual development schemes, 2002-2003, could not be initiated, even after lapse of several months.
A committee, comprising experts on heritage and officials of the provincial culture department, had selected 12 buildings in the province, which needed repairs.
If the authorities concerned kept on ignoring the buildings, which were manifestations of local and European architecture, could lose their grandeur and thus the priceless cultural heritage would be lost, a senior official of the Sindh Education Department opined.
The provincial government had allocated Rs40 million in its previous ADP budget and had promised to release these funds soon, and the local governments were also supposed to share the total renovation cost of Rs66 million, with a ratio of 60:40, respectively, the official said.
According to the plans, in the first phase, the buildings of 12 educational institutions, including the CMS Government Secondary School, Nishter Road, Karachi, Government Khadija Girls High School, Mukhi House, Government Elementary College, Hyderabad, and Government Karachi College for Women, Chand Bibi Road, Karachi, were to be restored.
An estimated cost of Rs5 million had been worked out for the Government Boys High School, Shikarpur, followed by Rs4.613 million for the Government Girls (Primary) Municipal High School, Sukkur.
An amount of Rs1.501 million was to be spent on the restoration of the building of Government Boys Primary School No 1, Pir Jo Goth, Khairpur District.
According to an official report, some parts of the CMS Karachi, the alma mater of the Quaid-i-Azam, spreading over three acres, having four buildings, which were built between the early 1850s and mid-1920s, have been encroached upon and its building is in dilapidated condition.
The building of Government Karachi College for Women, which once was the first campus of the University of Karachi and was constructed by the Gujrati Education Society in 1922, had a beautiful arrangement of Doric-style columns in its verandahs, also needed renovation, the report added.
The building of Khadija School in Mukhi House, Hyderabad, spreading over an area of 833.3 square yards, built with beautiful stones, was occupied, after partition, by the Board of Revenue as well and later used for settlement offices, was badly damaged in 1988, when it was set on fire during an agitation, the report said.
The building of Government Boys High School No 1, Sukkur, constructed in 1873-1874, with brick masonry walls of 2-6 inches thickness, covered with a roof of Sindhi pattern, with 16 feet high classrooms and 12 feet high verandahs on either side, needs repairs as the mud mortar, between the bricks, has lost its strength and cracks have also developed in its verandahs.
The Government Boys Qazi Ahmed Model School, Pat Sharif village, Dadu District, was established in 1915 when the villagers were not aware of the importance of education.
Other institutions, where restoration and renovation work has been planed but yet to be started are, Government Girls Degree College, Larkana, Government Boys High School No 1, Mehar, District Dadu, Government Girls Primary School, Khuhra, District Khairpur, and Government Boys High School, Mir Mohammed Tando Bago, Badin District.
Four of the selected buildings have been declared heritage by the Sindh government and are placed in the category of protected buildings.
The government had also notified a committee to oversee the renovation work.—PPI