SHIKARPUR: Shikarpur is known as the Paris of Sindh owing to historical buildings, monumental places, best drainage system, best education institutes’ and best cleanliness in past.
Outrage sparked amongst the people of Shikarpur, civil society, political parties including Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf [PTI] leader Dr Aamir Abbas Soomro, Chairman Save Shikarpur Mian Zafar Alvi, Tabdeeli Pisand Party leader Hameer Chandio, Qaumi Awami Tehreek leaders [QAT] including Zafar Ghaloo, Zafar Channa and others when the news about plans to bulldoze monumental heritage building ‘Tour Mal Mul Chand Chhabria Bhudha Ashram’, situated near Lakhidar, an expensive area of Shikarpur, and making room for a commercial building in the wake of the visit of Siddique-ul-Farooque, the Chairman Evacuee Trust Property Board [ETPB]. A banner against plans to bulldoze the building was hung at the main gate of building and protesters vowed to not let any conspiracy agianst heritage buildings of Shikarpur to be successful at any cost, for larger interest of the people of the city.
They also announced that if needed they would go to the honorable court to preserve the assets of Shikarpur. A rally was also taken out against Siddiqul Farooque, the chairman EFTP Board.
Tour Mal Mul Chand Chhabria Bhudha Ashram Building tops the list of most popular landmarks in Shikarpur district which is famous for its rich tradition, culture, history and ancient places in Shikarpur.
In 1998, UNESCO had declared 1,203 buildings of Shikarpur as cultural heritage, but unfortunately 250 buildings have been demolished, said Dr Anila Naeem, a professor of NED University, who has done extensive research on Shikarpur district and its historical buildings, addressing a program organised at C&S Degree College Shikarpur, in 2016.
A notification dated, 08-08-1998, issued by Cultural Department, Government of Sindh, has declared 1,203 buildings in Shikarpur as “Protracted Heritage”, and Tour Mal Mul Chand Chhabria Bhudha Ashram Building has 1150 serial number in it, copy is available with scribe.
The heritage centre” will be opened at “Buddha Ashram Building” in Shikarpur to preserve heritage assets of Shikarpur, this was said by Akbar Laghari, the then commissioner Larkana and now serving as Secretary Cultural, Tourism & Antiquities Department GoS, Karachi, in his speech during a program organised at C&S Degree College Shikarpur in 2016, but who could not water his promise publicly made with people of Shikarpur and after passage of two year this development surfaced.
In 2014, World Monumental Forum, a world level forum which works over heritage, declared whole Shikarpur city as heritage after completing a study work across Pakistan, said Nasim Bukhari, a prominent columnist and expressed his deep reservations over the news emerged for bulldozing and making a plaza at protracted heritage declared building.
When Siddiqul Farooque, the Chairman Evacuee Trust Property Board [ETPB], contacted by this scribe he denied the orders of bulldozing “Tour Mal Mul Chand Chhabria Bhudha Ashram Building”, an old age house, and said that ETPB with the consultation of Architecture experts would especially renovate its front side to preserve its original shape because of the condition of the building was dilapidated while its prime responsibility of ETPB to make arrangements to preserve it and after renovation it would be decided for its best use with the consensus of Deputy Commissioner Shikarpur and other authorities because I am not single authority to pass such orders, he concluded.
Brief history of “Tour Mal Mul Chand Chhabria Bhudha Ashram” an old age house. Tour Mal Mul Chand Chhabria Bhudha Ashram, an old age house, was built by Radmaki Shandas Parsram in loving memory of Seth Tour Mal Mul Chand Chhabria, a general iron merchant of Shikarpur district in 1936, before partition for older and helpless people.
According to Haseeb Nayab Mangi, he has great historian knowledge of Shikarpur, in 1936, Bhudha Ashram, an old age house, was inaugurated and had functional till 1950 and got special attention after partition because of several Hindu who could not go to Hindustan due to lack of transportation or other issues and who had decided to live at Bhudha Ashram for remaining days of life, he added.
This building has been under the control of Evacuee Trust Property Board, an institute working under federal government, and it gave its rooms to several government offices including Excise and Taxation, Commercial College and Cooperation Department office on monthly rent basis, but did not take interest for renovation or maintain its beauty and finally it was heard that government has allegedly taken decision for bulldozing Bhudha Asharam Building and making it as Plaza in this connection civil society demonstrated against potential decision of destroying Bhudha Ashram and may government face severe hardships.
Published in Daily Times, January 15th 2018.