LAHORE, Jan 20: After a gap of little over five years since the Gawalmandi Food Street had fallen prey to the culture of political intolerance on Aug 9, 2006, a new street will be inaugurated on Fort Road on Saturday (today).

The Gawalmandi Food Street had emerged in the city’s horizon during Gen Musharraf’s regime, but it met a sad end when the Data Ganj Bakhsh Town administration pulled down its decorative gates.

Although the ruling PML-N in Punjab termed the operation necessary for the smooth flow of traffic in the area, the Gawalmandi Food Street was the main source of livelihood for around 10,000 people who called the action their victimisation on a political basis.

The Fort Road Food Street has missed its launch twice. Lately it was to be inaugurated on Nov 19, 2011, but the project was delayed and rescheduled after Muharram 10.

Located behind the Badshahi Mosque and amidst Taxali and Roshnai gates, the Sikh Gurdwara and numerous other historical buildings in the Walled City, the Fort Road Food Street is one of the nine planned food streets to be developed in different parts of Lahore.

More than two dozen buildings in a V-shaped street have been prettified for the purpose and gates have been erected at its entry and exit points.

The street illuminated with western-style streetlights seems to be no relevance with the historical background of the Walled City.

The buildings reserved to house restaurants are painted in bright colours like pink, yellow and green and none of these colours jell with the historic texture of the Walled City. Earlier, white plaster or natural brick colour was used, but yellow colour was mostly used for the houses of Hindus and Sikhs.

Wooden balconies known as ‘jharokas’ and carved wooden doors have been arranged accordingly to reflect the look of the old city.

To historians and art critiques, the establishment of the Food Street on Fort Road is not a praiseworthy move amidst the fact that the Walled City had long been in the need of restoration and rehabilitation.

For years the rundown historical buildings in the Walled City are in a desperate need of financial aid to save them from what is left as historic fabric, but nothing has so far been done in this respect.

Renowned conservationist, painter and historian Dr Ajaz Anwar commenting on the inauguration of the food street said: “It seems this is a type of politics. The main objective of the inauguration of the food street is to make Hamza Sharif popularise as a politician.”

Mr Anwar said: “This area was already a food street known for various eateries. I don’t see any reason for spending such a huge amount of money in this area. Several historical structures in this area are a picture of neglect while cleanliness and other public facilities are missing miserably that invites more attention.

Head of the Society for the Development and Management of Fort Road Street Habib Khan said the inauguration would be held at 7pm on Saturday (today).

He said the food street would probably be inaugurated by Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif.

Mr Khan said the new street was far better than the Gawalmandi street because of its awesome scenic beauty and proper arrangements for parking facility and security for visitors.

He said the SDMF, comprising 26 owners of houses located within the premises of the food street, had formed a society to run the food street effectively under the patronage of the city district government.

SDMF secretary-general and renowned painter Iqbal Husain said he expected an extremely positive response from the people because of the atmosphere and facilities the food street would offer to them.

“A number of tourists visit this place and with the establishment of the food street the number of locals and foreigners will increase who will love to taste traditional cuisines of Lahore,” he said.