LAHORE, July 12: The planning and development board has approved Rs5 million for the preparation of a master plan for the extension of the Lahore Museum at the site of the colonial Tollinton Market.

The site has recently been given to the museum for its extension on the orders of the chief minister, and the market's front on The Mall is being restored by the Tajdeed-i-Lahore Committee to its original shape for establishing the Museum of the City of Lahore and an art and craft bazaar at a cost of Rs40 million.

The building on the front will also be handed over to the museum after its completion. The land is situated at the rear of the main building where the provincial government intends to construct a building for the extension of the museum.

Official sources told Dawn on Monday that the museum authorities would have prepared the design of the new building through private consultants, build a boundary wall around the site and remove encroachments around it with the money approved by the planning and development board.

The ground-breaking ceremony of the new museum building could also be held with the funds, they said, adding the cost of the extension of the museum would be suggested by the consultants making its design and the government would approve it afterwards.

According to initial estimates, the building would be completed at a cost of Rs100 million. They said the project would include world standard security and fire-fighting systems and an auditorium for the performing arts.

All artifacts carrying high monetary and archaeological value would be shifted to the new building because of the planned foolproof security arrangements there, they said.

Meanwhile, a meeting of the Tajdeed-i-Lahore Committee, which was presided over by Chief Secretary Kamran Rasool here earlier in the day, decided not to lease out or rent out all 14 shops in the art and craft bazaar to avoid complications at a later stage.

Instead, it was decided, the management should allow artisans registered with the Lok Virsa and the Punjab government to exhibit their works there without any rent. The artisans should be considered as guests and allowed display of their works for one month.

The meeting was informed that rare photographs, old maps and historical documents would be exhibited in the museum which would be a source of attraction for over seven million residents of the city as well as tourists from home and abroad.

The meeting decided to install more floodlights around the Badshahi Mosque, Hazoori Bagh and the Lahore Fort to make them attractive at night. The Parks and Horticulture Authority would develop parks in the area to improve its look.

The meeting also discussed matters relating to the conservation of all gates of the Walled City. It was attended by secretaries of the housing and information departments, Lahore Nazim Mian Amer, the DCO, PHA and LDA director-generals, the archaeology director, S.M. Zafar, Faqir Aijazuddin, Kamal Ali Agha and Nayyar Ali Dada.