LAHORE: The Walled City of Lahore Authority (WCLA) on Wednesday submitted a report to the Lahore High Court (LHC) about a survey of dangerous and dilapidated buildings and rooftops in its jurisdiction ahead of the Basant festival to be celebrated from Feb 6 to 8 in the provincial capital.

According to the report, a total of 346 buildings in the walled city have been declared dangerous and 183 among them have been declared beyond repair.

However, 163 buildings have been declared repairable.

The report was submitted in response to a petition filed by the Judicial Activism Panel concerning a lack of safety measures for the upcoming kite-flying event.

As per the report, 92 extremely dilapidated and dangerous buildings in the walled city have been vacated, while 254 are still occupied despite the risk.

Among the occupied buildings, 103 have been declared beyond repair, while 151 are repairable. Of the vacated buildings, 80 have been declared fit for demolition and 12 repairable.

The report states that the rooftops of dangerous buildings are unsafe for Basant-related activities.

It says measures are being taken to impose a ban on the use of rooftops of unsafe buildings for such activities.

The authority has displayed banners as warning notices to raise awareness about such buildings.

The report says safety measures have been initiated to prevent any untoward incident during the Basant festivities.

It says the district administration has been requested to seal the dangerous rooftops and parts of the buildings.

It also recommends the deployment of police and the Punjab Enforcement and Regulatory Authority (Pera) forces during the three-day Basant festival.

Separately, Justice Malik Awais Khalid directed all relevant institutions to submit responses, detailing the measures taken in connection with similar petitions filed against granting permission for Basant celebrations.

Earlier, the director general of the Directorate General of Public Relations (DGPR) informed the court that a public awareness campaign was being run through print and electronic media to ensure a safe Basant in the city.

The judge directed that coordination should also be ensured with the Lahore deputy commissioner (DC) in this regard.

The DC informed the court that the Lahore Electric Supply Company (Lesco) has assured that all necessary arrangements have been made to ensure the safety of people on Basant.

The SSP Operations told the court that kite flying was not permitted before Basant and that more than 100 cases have been registered over Basant protocol violations till Tuesday night.

Advocate Khalid Zafar, the counsel for the Kite Manufacturing Association, submitted that Basant is a cultural festival and should not be given a political colour. He said no life-threatening materials were used in kite and twine manufacturing.

The judge adjourned the further hearing till Feb 2.

Published in Dawn, January 29th, 2026