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Tree's a crowd
Lahore might soon be history if it continues to be planned and urbanised at the cost of parks and open areas
By Noveen Abid
The recently drawn up LDA plan for the commercialisation of roads has incited more than a reaction from the members of the Lahore Bachao Tehreek (LBT). The one-page-long questionnaire distributed to the public through daily newspapers for the proposed commercialisation along 58 roads is problematic. The report of the Chief Minister requesting TEPA to revise the plan to widen the Canal Road has also caused concern alongside the LDA commercialisation proposal.
The meeting of the LBT held at Nairang Art Gallery on May 15 aimed at working against commercialisation of roads, saving the Canal Road and taking up the issue of planned cutting of trees at the Faletti's Hotel site and the construction of a 23-floor building at the same spot. LBT has been campaigning against the widening of the canal road ever since the project was announced. Their opposition to the plan forced the City District Government Lahore (CDGL) to formulate an EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment) of the project. The EIA has been questioned by the LBT as it fails to be comprehensive and the case is pending in the High Court.
The move to commercialise and widen existing roads is not easily digested, Rafay Alam, an environmentalist and LBT member says, "the government expenditure is mostly geared towards making roads, widening the existing ones, which leads to uneven development. Public transport will not be able to keep up with the required demand for vehicles as the roads are widened."
It is distressing that while urban planners throughout the world are discouraging road widening to relieve traffic jams, our government believes the opposite. Kamil Khan Mumtaz, an architect with an interest in city development, feels that, "In an effort to push commercialisation forth, motorised traffic in the concerned areas will increase -- widening of roads will attract traffic rather than deflect it. Unless buildings are subject to height and zoning restrictions, LDA should not carry the plan forward."
A city cherished for its rich heritage and vibrant history, Lahore will only exist in imagination if plans to 'develop' and urbanise the area are carried out at the cost of seizing parks and open areas, congestion along roads and residential areas and inadequate public transport provision. And this is just the tip of the iceberg. Air, Soil and water pollution have not been accounted for, in the effort to increase urban sprawl, environmental issues have been pushed back. Upon questioning, Director LDA Commercialisation, Sheikh Abdul Qayyum chose not to comment on the issue until the official meeting (scheduled for July 17) took place.
Imrana Tiwana clearly pointed out that LBT is not against development or commercialisation. It merely highlights the need for chalking out a feasible method and involving professionals in the decision-making process. "The canal road is an environmental asset, besides, the Government's claim that the canal is the main traffic artery of Lahore and needs development is faulty as we are all witnesses to the fact that Lahore is growing at the periphery rather than the centre," she says. Tiwana commended the recent efforts of the CM against commercialisation and setting up of billboards, "it is clear that he is interested in doing well for the city and we want to support him with serious interest."
Even from an environmental perspective, both these plans are not viable. According to the fact sheet revealed by the Pakistan Environment Agency under its Air Monitoring System, Lahore, tops the list of the most polluted cities of the with air pollution level of 121.85 micrograms per cubic metre that is three times higher than the safe standards. Commercialisation and the increase in high-rise buildings will not only increase energy consumption but will also double the amount of CO2 emissions.
Rizwan Mahmood, a WWF representative and coordinator for the Canal Bank Project, tells TNS, "Not only will commercialisation have an effect on the micro-climate, it will also suffocate the sewage system." He proposes that the city should be divided into commercial zones to save our heritage, lack of planning has choked the urban centres -- it is hard to imagine where we will stand after 5 years.
The plan that LDA has built is also faulty: The questionnaire includes technical questions that are beyond public comprehension. As Kamil Khan points out, "Urban planning is not done by a vote of public -- there are many important factors that should be taken into account. The LBT is opposed to such planning. It seems as though the local government and LDA are aiming to raise revenues by encouraging putting up billboards, building violations and commercialisation. As there is no subsidiary development being encouraged, growth seems to be concentrated in the real estate sector. Jalees Hazir, an NGO activist, highlights that a "sustained initiative needs to be taken to solve the issues, with a focus on expertise which in turn bring about a professionally prepared vision of Lahore, with input from both architects and town planners."

MOOD STEET
The real meaning
By Mohammad Hyder Qayoom
A couple of days back I got the opportunity to watch a recently released Indian movie at one of the posh cinema houses in Lahore, located in an affluent residential area. The show timings were morbid enough, the movie starting at around midnight. If it had been entirely up to me, I would have chosen a more decent time of the day to watch a movie but since the wife's heart was set on this particular movie and this particular movie was only showing at this ghastly hour, I decided like a good hubby to put up an exciting smile and saunter along for whatever awaited me.
I had been half expecting and half praying that at this time of the night, the cinema house would be reasonably deserted and we would be quietly ushered in by a sleepy gatekeeper.
No undue commotion, no riff-raff crowd, no whistling urchins, just a couple of serious movie-goers. However, I was definitely in for a shock. Even the road leading to the cinema-house was jam-packed with cars and we had to do some serious searching just to find a parking space in the vicinity. After some tricky car-dodging & road crossing, we entered the cinema to be greeted by hoards of teenagers, uncles, aunties and clinging children. It seems no one in Lahore goes to sleep at 12 any more. It has become fashionable to stay up till late at night and even children are encouraged to follow in the foot-steps of their party-animal parents.
Anyways, we grabbed a bucket of some pop-corn and colas, and settled down to the movie of the night. The movie was entertaining enough and I would be lying if I didn't admit I had a pretty good time. However, what struck me right from the start till the end of the movie was that it was liberally sprinkled with teasing scenes, dresses that could give a healthy competition to Victoria Secret ensembles any day, colorful language that made frequent use of the word s-- and so on. Everyone, including me and including all present: parents, elders, teenagers & children, watched the movie in great comfort and left joking about the little scenes. Before you start thinking that I am a fundo or some off-shoot of the Taliban advocating fanatical dressing, long beards, burqas etc, please stop. I am not preaching anything of the kind. However, I do find it all rather whimsical and amusing when I try to compare the cultural standards of today's Pakistan with those in vogue just a couple of years back.
I remember the first time that PTN started transmission of CNN & BBC on the national network, somewhere in1991-1992. The transmission would be heavily censored so much so that whenever there was a break in the daily routine to show a few snaps of some happening fashion show, the screen would be immediately blocked. And we only got to know later, courtesy dish antennas, that the ramp models were usually properly attired even then. Then there was the fiasco on PTV where an actress was invariably shown wearing a dupatta, no matter what the scene or situation, and this even included if she was being rushed to the hospital after a terrible accident etc.
Cinemas by virtue of largely showing foreign films were spared such ludicrous scenes. However, even while showing 'racy' movies such as James Bond flicks which have always been in rage, it was made sure that the movies were free of explicit language or scenes.
All this has undergone a cataclysmic change or so it seems. It is understandable, nonetheless, that unlimited access to computers, cable and other modern day gadgets has made the world a global village. It is no longer possible or perhaps even advisable to restrict the young generation to zealous & narrow-minded interpretations of religion or culture. The more you restrict them, the faster & harder they will retaliate.
However, this makes for an interesting debate. On the one hand, we have generation X, ultra-modern, suave, sophisticated with a liberal outlook on life and religion where everything is permissible provided the intention is right. It's all about your intention. If the intention is good, you are good. On the other hand, we have the religious zealots like Taliban fighting a life & death war, carrying out suicide bombings, killing everyone including their own kith & kin – all in the name of enforcing a strict and rigid interpretation of religion that puts severe restrictions on each and every aspect of life. Who is right & who is wrong? Perhaps, it would be difficult to answer this question in black & white. There are shades of grey to this debate which cannot be conveniently ignored. It would be more appropriate to ask: who is less right & who is more wrong?
Have we ever considered as a nation: what would be the ideal mix of norms or values that we should all aspire to? We are just running blindly to whatever attracts us. There is nothing wrong with being modern or adopting new lifestyles that is best suited to today's open culture. However, there should be serious debate as to where we are headed or where do we actually want to go in terms of a liberal, Muslim society.
It would be pertinent to look at Iran in this context since we seem to be headed in a similar quasi-religious, quasi-liberal kind of confusion that defines present-day Iran. The country is run by strict Mullahs whereas the young generation is sick & tired of it and the murmurs of dis-content can now be heard across continents. That is the nut-shell of it. We are confused and that confusion just keeps on growing. The debate between being modern & being conservative is now fiercer than ever before. What was previously drawing-room talk has now entered the arena of bloody fighting that is claiming innocent lives on a daily basis.
What is the solution? Perhaps only that we teach 2 basic things i.e. 1) tolerance and 2) education. Tolerance because we need to learn to respect each others' values. There could be diversity of views & understanding but this does not mean that we should embark on a killing spree simply because the other person is not offering Namaz the way we do or watching a movie that we consider inappropriate. Education because tolerance can only come through education. Our last President cum politician was in love with the phrase: enlightened moderation, however, we have to go a long way still to discover its real meaning.