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Foreign experts to help rehabilitate
Lahore’s Walled City
By Intikhab Hanif
An aerial shot of Lahore's old Walled City —Satellite grab
LAHORE: Foreign experts are reaching Lahore on August 7 to start making conceptual designs of underground services, facade rehabilitation and circular gardens, taking a step forward for the launch of the much-delayed work on the World Bank funded WalledCity Development Project.
The authorities had earlier announced that they would start work on the dormant project in May this year. But this could not be done because of the reluctance of foreign consultants to stay in Lahore due to security concerns. The Aga Khan Trust for Culture also is providing financial and technical support for the project.
A consultant from Thailand already working on the project had also left because of the same reasons, said Lahore Walled City Development Project Director-General Oriya Maqbool Jan here on Sunday. He said the foreign experts were now reaching Lahore on Aug 7 to complete the conceptual designs in two months. ‘This is the major work left as we have already completed the entire survey of the Walled City and made the property ownership list,’ he said.
He said the previous administration of the project had laid underground sewerage pipelines and electricity lines inside Delhi Gate, but the donor agencies had found faults in the task. That’s why the foreign consultants had been engaged to prepare designs for the purpose afresh, he said.
Jan said other major homework had also been done during this time. ‘We have on Saturday asked the education department to shift its 13 schools from Circular Gardens in 15 days. Wasa too has been asked to immediately shift its 11 tube-wells during this period,’ he said.
He said there were 21 tube-wells in Circular Gardens and 14 of them would be shifted. Those allowed to be stayed would function according to the instructions from the project management so as to avoid any hurdle in the development of the historic Circular Gardens, he said.
He said the district government had been asked to acquire a building near the Taxali Gate’s cemetery to shift its school (near Bhati Gate) over there. This beautiful old building was on sale and could house the school which was being run by an NGO on a 20-year lease, he said.
Jan said the project management was shifting Badami Bagh’s bus stand to Thoker Niaz Beg and near the Saggian Bridge. It was also going to purchase land for Rs50 million near Thoker Niaz Beg for shifting Masti Gate’s Rim Market there.
A survey of the buildings outside Delhi Gate and assessment of their price had been completed. ‘We are going to demolish these buildings after paying the price to their owners to build single-storey markets for those running shops around Masjid Wazir Khan and Shahi Hamam,’ he said.
He said the administration was also asking Wapda to shift its installations from Circular Gardens. The previous management had allowed Wapda to build a grid station near Sheranwala Gate. Since Rs20 million had already been spent on the station, the project management was now buying the premises of a nearby closed flour mill at a cost of Rs160 million to shift it there.
The detailed design of the Greater Iqbal Park had been finalised and was awaiting a final approval by the chief minister.
Jan said as a first step towards the development of Circular Gardens, a boundary wall would be constructed on its inner side to prevent any future encroachments.
DAWN: Monday, 27 Jul, 2009
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