KARACHI, Jan 6: Despite reservations of the federal archaeology department, a mobile phone company has finally succeeded in erecting a tower at a protected site in Moenjodaro, it is learnt.
The issue came to light recently when the cellphone company started work for installing a communication tower in Moenjodaro to improve its operations in Larkana district and the construction activity was witnessed by the archaeology department officials and the UNESCO experts during their visit to the ruins of the 5000-year-old Indus Valley Civilization.
The department claimed that the construction was being carried out in the protected area and under the Antiquities Act 1975 such activities could not be carried out without the department’s approval. The archaeology directed the cellphone company to stop the construction activities. But the construction continued. Sources said the construction of tower had been completed though it had not yet become operational.
Responding to Dawn queries, Telenor’s Communications Director Syed Hasnat Masood said according to the NOC issued by Dokri Town Administration, “the said land is not the property of the archaeology department.”
He said another letter (dated December 11, 2006) of Dokri Taluka’s Revenue Mukhtiarkar states, “The tower is outside the boundaries of archaeology department.” He said it was probably the case of authority of different departments for the issuance of NOC.
“Our intention has always been and remains to follow the law once the government authorities have resolved this matter among themselves,” said the Telenor official and added that the archaeology department had assured him that it would follow up on the matter and keep the company informed on the issue.
Meanwhile, the archaeology department has approached the chief secretary urging him to order for the removal of the tower and other encroachments from the protected land of Moenjodaro.
The department’s letter to the chief secretary dated January 4, 2007 says that a tower has been built by Siemens-Telenor communication on the protected land of Moenjodaro, the World Heritage Site. Recently a Unesco team visited Moenjodaro and its buffer zone and showed displeasure over the erection of such tower.
In this connection, the drawback lies in the emergence of a village Dhandh built on Survey No 600 before 1977 which was a central government property, as evident from the documents.
It is also mentioned that the same area comes in the buffer zone of Moenjodaro, where any new development or structure cannot be allowed without the approval of the director general of archaeology department. In this scenario, it is requested that quarters concerned be ordered to remove such tower and other encroachments in the area of Moenjodaro, the letter concludes.