HYDERABAD, June 21: Sindh Chief Secretary Shakeel Durrani on Thursday directed officials concerned to prepare a master plan for the restoration of the shrine of Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai to its original state, and give a facelift to Bhit Shah town by making basic amenities available to townspeople at their doorsteps.
Mr Durrani said at a meeting he presided over at the Bhitshah Rest House that the establishment of a Sindhi folk music research centre, upgradation of Bhit Shah Cultural Centre and development schemes for providing basic civic facilities to the inhabitants and devotees should be part of the master plan.
He asked the officials concerned to submit PC-I within shortest possible and said that a project steering committee would supervise the execution of master plan. He himself or additional chief secretary would head the committee and a panel of experts, district nazim, DCO and officials concerned would be its members, he said.
He directed the meeting to prepare two separate master plans, one for the restoration of shrines of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar and Sachal Sarmast and the other for the development of the two saints’ towns and their cultural centres.
The project steering committees would also supervise these projects. The committee would ensure that the restoration work of the shrines must reflect the period when they built, he stressed.
Mr Durrani said that the Sindh government had earmarked sufficient funds for the projects. Nevertheless, if more funds were needed the government would release as and when required, he promised.
About Bhitshah Development Project, the chief secretary announced that the government would grant stipends to researchers, instructors and learners of Sindhi folk music from its endowment funds not only to preserve, protect and project folk music but also benefit the poor vocalists and musicians.
He directed the officers of culture department to double the stipend to Rs2,000 a month for each artist after he learned that the department was paying just Rs1,000 a month to more than 300 artists out of whom more than 93 artists were “Shah-Ja-Ragi”.
The chief secretary stressed that water supply, efficient sewerage system, encroachment free wide roads, establishment of new bus stand having capacity of 1,500 buses and restoration of Karar lake to its original state should be made part of the master plan.
He urged the irrigation department and DCO Matiari to get the 20 per cent remaining work on new Shaikhani link channel project completed. The Rs40 million project launched in 1995 was meant to bring 3,300 acres of land in the vicinity of Bhitshah under cultivation and provide a source of freshwater to the people of Bhitshah and Karar lake.
He also issued directives for the projection of folk craft and establishment of ceramic centres and announced that Sindh government would implement the proposal of the Matiari district government for the establishment of a standard educational institution for boys and girls.
Matiari District Nazim Syed Mohammad Ali Shah Jamote, Sindh Culture Secretary Abdul Qadir Mangi, Auqaf Secretary Baaz Mohammad Junejo, DG of culture Shams Jafrani, DG of Auqaf Zahid Hussain Memon, project director of Village Improvement Programme, Shafique Paracha attended the meeting.