Dangerous buildings

Published July 28, 2016

RAIN often has a magical effect on some government departments. The lists roll out of the closets, old plans beckon with an urgency after a prolonged dry run, and new schemes unravel, sometimes at a speed that is hard to keep pace with.

Officialdom in Lahore traditionally celebrates the monsoons by coming up with yet another list of buildings that are too fragile to be allowed to stand without remedial action.

A large number of ‘dilapidated’ buildings have been deemed fit for summary razing, obliterating with their fall all the sentiment and history attached to them. There is a larger number that, government experts believe, can still be salvaged.

There are three different authorities in Lahore tasked with keeping an eye on the condition of structures in their area. There is LDA as also the town municipal administration and the walled city authority. Each deals with buildings in its domain, and the combined numbers that the three have to deal with may be quite large.

For instance, TMA Lahore alone has 451 dangerous buildings on its list, 155 of which have to be pulled down. The hazardous buildings marked by LDA and those listed inside the walled city are in addition to this.

The first category of buildings runs into many hundreds and soon enough thousands of others in Lahore and adjoining towns will see labourers and masons attempting to ensure more secure living and heritage conservation. How soon, we don’t know because the government has not yet given us a time frame for the commencement of repairs.

It is hoped that the magic that dictates emergency treatment for these constructions will not disappear when the wet season ends. Many of the buildings that have now been condemned and will be pulled down could have been saved had action been taken earlier to save them.

The project must be undertaken immediately to prevent more of these old structures that map our journey through time from being marked for mercy killing.

Published in Dawn, July 28th, 2016

Opinion

Editorial

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