LAHORE, Nov 10: Catastrophe awaits employees of the Punjab Directorate of Public Instruction (DPI) which is still functioning in the building declared dangerous for human use a decade ago.

The building is in the neighbourhood of the Punjab University Old Campus on The Mall and opens towards Anarkali.

About 300 employees of the directorate daily risk their lives working in the building. Hundreds of education employees and others having any business in the department also expose themselves to danger every day.

“We know that the building may collapse any time, but we have no choice but use it to earn our livelihood,” DPI employees said.

Built in 1862, the building has been a victim of neglect for many decades. Officials said it had been neglected since the creation of Pakistan.

Besides its fragile structure, the building has a poor lighting system that gives it a desolate look even during daytime.

DPI officials said the DPI offices should be shifted to the Educational Complex on Hall Road as per a 1994 decision. Only the director’s offices were shifted after the decision, they added.

The Lahore Conservation Society, it may be mentioned, did not allow demolition of the DPI building. In the annual development fund (ADP) for 2001, about Rs3.8 million was allocated for renovation of the building, but only Rs1.7 million was released.

The amount spent on the building could only renovate a little portion of the building. Construction material lies abandoned in half-constructed rooms and corridors.

They said Punjab Governor Khalid Maqbool had recently visited the building and promised to provide funds for renovation.

Under the ADP-2002, about Rs6.37 million was allocated to complete the renovation work, but the money had yet to be released.

The DPI building is spread over 19 kanals and 15 marlas allocated by the then Nawab of Bahawalpur.