By: Zulfiqar Ali Bhatti
Ranikot, with a circumference of about 26 km, is the largest fort in the world. However, this has not been enough to convince the authorities to develop it as a major tourist attraction. Fortunately this fort is easily accessible from Karachi or Hyderabad through the National Highway which is in excellent condition but after reaching Sann Town there comes a diversion and here where misery and misfortune begins for all those who want to visit this world’s famous historical site. A rusty board announces that Ranikot is some 30 km away but of course it does not reveal that the the road is in pathetic condition. Only the broken road is not the misery but the real trouble starts when they reach a bridge over a rain water stream which is under construction. But real matter of shame is not that it is under construction but to the extent of surprise it is under construction since last 35 years. Yes and I know that most of you will not believe that to reach the fort , the visitors climb down into the stream and reach the other side after crossing the bed of the rain water stream which is quite dangerous. The wretched story does not end here but the tourists have cross their ve3hicles from the bed of the stream. In the Google map picture given below the incomplete bridge can be seen in red oval and red line shows how the tourists leave the road and climb down into the rain water stream to reach the other side.
Nobody knows when this bridge will be completed? how many more years are required to complete this bridge? Due to this hindrance , the number of tourists has decreased. The authorities concerned are requested to kindly look into the matter and do something at the earliest.
