LAHORE, Aug 28: The Punjab archeology department has enlisted reservations about the Rs17 million project for the beautification and maintenance of the Shalamar Gardens and Lahore Fort being executed by the Parks and Horticulture Authority, it is learnt.

The PHA has been working on the project for well over a year after the Punjab government leased the amount to beautify and maintain the two monuments. Besides, it was supposed to build water reservoirs and their drainage systems for watering the gardens of the two historical places.

Sources said a water reservoir, tubewells and watering system being built at a cost of Rs7.8 million at the Shalamar Garden by the PHA had been found unsatisfactory by the archeology department engineers. “The structure built for an overhead tank meant for the water reservoir has not been up to the construction criterion. No earth filling has been done for its pillars.”

Proper finishing has also not been done of the water tank, add the reservations. However, the engineers have found that the pipes used for the watering system in the garden are of good standard.

As for the lawns maintenance and tree plantation, the archeology department has found that the grass planted by the PHA is of low standard for having a “jungle growth”. The PHA, as part of the project, is doing horticulture over 37.43 acres in the garden. Once the project is completed, the PHA has spared another amount of Rs4.4 million for its maintenance for one year.

“We will not approve the work until we are satisfied. We have to handle very carefully a work on any monument, especially the one like Shalamar of international recognition,” Orya Maqbool Jan, head of the Punjab archeology department, told Dawn.

In case of Lahore Fort the archeology department does have some reservations about the work being done there by the PHA, the overall work is satisfactory. There is, however, a room to improve in the maintenance of its lawns and other horticulture work.

PHA Director-General Shabbir Ahmad was contacted for a comment but his staff officer and public relations officer said he (the DG) was not available. A PHA official document quoted him as saying that the authority’s engineering and horticulture sections had been doing their best to make the garden and the Lahore Fort regain original glory.

PHD Director Engineering Izhar Ahmad Khan told Dawn that all the work on the two projects had been done as per specification of approved designs. “There is always a design and specification with which nobody can tamper with. As far as the archeology people, they were not sleeping when the work on the project was under way. They (the archeology officials) have been visiting the projects frequently.”

He said the PHA had not received the reservations so far.

Another PHA official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said it was always easy to criticise some work. “You can see a difference if you see the Shalamar Garden today and that of the yester years.”

Being on the World Heritage List, the Shalamar Gardens has also been under focus of France and Britain who have shown interest in extending funds to restore its unique hydraulic system. The system was part of the Inyat and Angoori baghs built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jehan in 1642. These gardens do not exist now as houses and markets have replaced them.

The hydraulic system was planned in a way that the arrangements and placement of pipelines ran at a depth of 1.8m under the canal bed. The technique evolved for running of fountains and giving a long choke-free life to the underground water supply system.

During the British rule, the hydraulic system was disconnected from the Shalamar Garden due to the construction of the GT Road. The Punjab government had in 1998 ordered demolition of the 50 per cent of the system to widen the road. The adjoining fountain built by the Lahore Development Authority was also demolished.

Further demolition of the hydraulic structure was stopped when the army took over in 1999. It was then decided that the government would not widen the road without the archaeology department’s permission.