LAHORE: The government has decided to rehabilitate infrastructure of the entire Walled City of Lahore in a bid to conserve its rich heritage and promote tourism.

“The government has provided huge funds for restoration of the entire walled city’s infrastructure. Under the project, the facade of as many as 2,300 heritage properties in the walled city would be restored. Eight trails have also been identified, where major historical buildings will be restored and conserved,” Walled City of Lahore Authority (WCLA) Director General Najamus Saqib revealed while speaking at a Lahore Literary Festival session titled “Lahore as Palimpsest”.

The session was moderated by Oral Historian Ghazi Taimur, whereas the National College of Arts (NCA) Department of Humanities Dean Farida Batool also discussed and explored the city’s art and culture across layered histories and contemporary life.

The WCLA DG said that restoring historical buildings and maintaining them carefully was a need of the hour, as developed nations spent huge sums of money on conservatory works, thus earning a lot through tourism. “So, keeping in view the situation, the Punjab government has decided to purchase a number of old Havelis to restore their original structures and facades and later use them for tourism. Under the project, the entire walled city’s electricity system will be moved underground. The city will also have modern underground optical fibre. Likewise, the open drainage system, wherever it existed in the walled city, will also be replaced with a state-of-the-art sanitation system,” he explained.

He said that the old spice bazaar and other local markets would also be conserved after removal of encroachments to make these places accessible for everyone. Work on underground parking plazas for 2,000 cars, thousands of bikes had also been launched. “Nila Gumbad is being restored. An underground parking plaza is also being constructed there,” he added.

Speaking on the occasion, Ms Batool appreciated the government for bringing back the centuries old festival of Basant in Lahore. “This was an event that gathered people from various walks of life. But unfortunately, it was banned many years ago,” she said.

Recalling her work, she said that in 2016 she and some other artists installed LED lights on the rooftops in the walled city. She said that during the visit, they jumped from one building’s rooftop to another. She said, “You will be surprised to know that no one stopped us and the residents came to help us. They also shared their views about Basant and pledged to work with us for its revival,” she said, adding that such spirit could only be found in the walled city.

Mr Taimur said when a historical building becomes dilapidated and was dismantled, it was as if a page of the history book had been removed. “Can anyone sitting here claim that their children know about Dulla Bhatti? But I know that our children can tell us about William Shakspeare, Robin Hood and others,” he deplored.

Published in Dawn, February 7th, 2026