High court tells Thatta DC to conduct Makli graveyard’s demarcation

The Sindh High Court has directed the deputy commissioner of Thatta to conduct demarcation of the historical Makli graveyard.

The direction came on a petition with regard to the protection of the heritage site of Makli. The deputy commissioner submitted that total area of the graveyard, which is a heritage property and listed by Unesco as an antiquity, is 912 acres and its complete demarcation had not been carried out.

A division bench headed by Justice Salahuddin Panhwar directed the DC to carry out complete demarcation of the Makli graveyard.

The court also ordered that the vacant land shall be secured by the deputy commissioner, and inhabitants, if nestled in the land of the Makli graveyard, shall not be disturbed.

In another matter with regard to the construction of a hospital in District Badin, the court directed the secretary works and services to submit complete record of hospitals for approval, which shall include the period of the launching project when PC-I was approved and that of completion and preparation of PC-4 and delay in approval of PC-4.

Petitioner Ashraf Summo submitted that he had donated two acres of land in District Badin for the construction of a basic health unit in his village; however, the hospital was not being made operational.

The secretary health filed a report submitting that the health department a posted medical officer and other medical staff at the BHU in the petitioner’s village. He said the BHU was also repaired by WHO and provided details of patients examined by the doctors in the hospital. He submitted that the construction of the hospital was the domain of the secretary works and services department and he would personally call a report with regard to the construction of the hospital. The court directed the secretary works and services to submit complete record with regard to the construction of the hospital.