LAHORE: The Walled City of Lahore Authority claimed on Monday to have conserved several heritage sites besides promoting tourism activities in 2018.

The sites conserved last year included Barood Khana (the British era arsenal depot inside Lahore Fort), Musaman Gate of Lahore Fort, Royal Kitchens in Lahore Fort, Western Suites, Royal Toilets on the left side of Akbari Gate, Western suites of the Jahangiri Quadrangle, cleaning of the backside of Jahangir’s Quadrangle and repairs of Diwan-i-Aam. Besides this, the authority, according to a spokesperson, discovered two tunnels inside the fort besides removing wild plantation and debris there.

“The documentation of Bhati Gate trail leading to Tibbi police station was completed in 2018 and the WCLA will be starting rehabilitation of the trail in 2019 after releasing the budget. The documentation of the Mariam Zamani Mosque was also completed in 2018 in which the detailed structural analysis and fresco work was studied,” said the spokesperson in a press release.

The rehabilitation of the southern side of Wazir Khan Mosque intersection started whereas the rehabilitation plan for the area of Chowk Kotwali to Dabi Bazaar via Sonehri Masjid was also completed last year. For the first time in the history of Pakistan, the Lahore Fort was illuminated in 2018 and [illuminated] parts included Huzoori Bagh, Badshahi Mosque, Samadhi of Maharaja Ranjeet Singh, Roshnai Gate, Alamgiri Gate, Musaman Gate, Temple of Loh, Royal Trail of Fort, Picture Wall, summer palace and Sheesh Mahal. With the illumination of Lahore Fort and Huzoori Bagh, WCLA launched night tourism for the first time in Pakistan and tourists were taken to all the lit-up areas inside the fort and Huzoori Bagh. Almost 4,700 tourists paid these night tours.

Similarly almost 75,000 tourists visited the Royal Trail in 2018 whereas almost 4.5 million persons visited the Lahore Fort.

For the promotion of intangible culture, WCLA launched the storytelling sessions as ‘Dastaan Goi’ inside the Walled City and Royal Kitchen where Badar Khan narrated the stories of Lahore and its heroes. WCLA also started the Sufi Nights and the first one was ‘Bulleh Shah at Royal Kitchen’ which was designed to promote the message of peace and harmony written by Bulleh Shah in his poetry.

“During 2018, ‘Meet the Expert’ sessions on Royal Kitchens, Shahi Hamam and Barood Khana were conducted. As many as 700 students from leading universities across Pakistan attended different sessions. For revival of Kushti, the authority also started the Kushti matches and guided tours inside the Walled City.

The WCLA teams also carried out 34 operations against illegally constructed commercial plazas in different areas of the Walled City in a bid to clear public passages. It also undertook an operation in Shahalam to clear public passages/verandas. As many as 795 buildings inside the Walled City were declared dangerous which included old residential and newly constructed plazas. The WCLA Social Mobilization Wing completed resettlement survey of 320 shops of rim market. A cluster group was made in Lohari Gate and a transgender community-based organisation was formulated in Taxali Gate. The HIV/AIDS vaccinations and tests were also provided free of cost to the transgender persons.

Published in Dawn, January 1st, 2019