19 October 2004	Tuesday	04 Ramazan 1425

LAHORE, Oct 18: The Punjab government has not spent even a penny on the upkeep of the Lahore Fort and Shalamar Garden since taking over their administrative control from the federal archaeology department on July 15.

The Punjab archaeology department is said to have neither funds nor the required staff for the maintenance of the two monuments on the Unesco World Heritage List.

The promises of the Punjab government that it would set up a heritage fund with a seed money of at least Rs10 million for the repair and maintenance of the monuments in the province are yet to materialize.

Provincial archaeology officials said department's meagre budget was hardly enough to pay salaries to the staff. All the utility bills of these monuments were being paid by the federal archaeology department on its request.

They said the finance department had refused to recruit new staff, including director monuments, two deputy directors and tourists guides.

They said their staff had no place to sit in the fort as the federal archaeology department (north circle), the Central Archaeology Laboratory and Pakistan Institute of Archaeology Training and Research (PIATR) were still occupying the place.

"Our position is like that of doormen. With these problems how can the department manage and maintain the monuments?," asked an official.

On the other hand, the federal archaeology department officials told Dawn that under the modalities finalized between the federal and Punjab governments in June last, the offices of the north circle, library and PIATR had to be shifted to the auqaf's building near Hazoori Bagh. But the Punjab had failed to vacate the place, they added.

They claimed that the federal department was extending full cooperation to Punjab and fulfilling the conditions of the agreement between Islamabad and Lahore.

"We are also facing shortage of staff for our ongoing development projects in the fort after the transfer of over 90 per cent maintenance staff to the province," they said.

The conservation of Shish Mahal initiated by the federal department last year with the financial support of Unesco has been continuing under its control.

It may, however, be noted that former Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali had announced the transfer of the monuments in February this year despite opposition by a special committee constituted to finalize modalities regarding transfer of federally controlled monuments to the provinces.

He had reportedly taken the decision on the request of the Punjab chief minister.