DADU: Two portions of wall comprising 1,500 feet long each of Ranikot Fort at Shahpar Gate and Mohan Gate collapsed at different parts.
The Ranikot Fort is located some 34 kilometers away from Sann Town in West of Jamshoro district. The fort is considered as the world’s biggest fort and it is believed as a great wall of Pakistan. It comprises 32 circumferences and it has 29 watchtowers and four main entry gates.
It has mysterious history, despite various type researchers and scholars visiting this fort but they have not finalise its period and the reason of its construction.
Local inhabitants informed that the situation of this great wall of the fort was still falling and it would cause bigger damage from different places if the civil administration would remain silent.
Talking to the Daily Times, Muhammad Siddique Gabool, guide of the tourist site said that portions near Shahpar Gate and Mohan Ggate have started falling down. He demanded that the preservation and protection of the wall be taken on a war footing. Historian, archeologist professor Fatah Daud Poto has said that there were 14 land sites in Meeri Kot Fort (a small fort within Ranikot Fort) which were used for imprisonment of royal families of Talpur kings of Sindh in 1843 by British government. He said that Talpur rulers were detained at Pune in India but their families were kept at Meerikot. He said that these were repaired which served as guest house for visitors.
Historian Aziz Kingrani demanded the radio carbon test of collapsed wall of Fort at Shahpar and Mohan gates. He called it a great loss of history as the wall of the fort has started to collapse at different parts due to negligence of the government. He said that walls of this fort have started to collapse since 12 months due to negligence of department of archive and archeological, government of Sindh.
Executive Director Society for Research and Heritages and Development, Roshan Ali Khushik has offered Sindh government to share his expertise and the expertise of his team to preserve and protect walls of Ranikort Fort. He demanded urgent protection of the fort.
The regional Director Endowment Fund Trust, Ishitiaq Ansari claimed that EFT was restoring the collapsed parts of wall and half of the collapsed portion of the wall at Shahpar Gate was restored during the past year and further work was continuing in full swing.
Published in Daily Times, January 2nd 2018.
