LAHORE, Oct 26: Losing Laxmi Mansion at the altar of ignorance, the city fathers now plan to at least declare the residence of Saadat Hasan Manto as special premises to maintain it as a city landmark.

And they are doing so in view of media censure and reaction shown by members of the Dilkash Lahore Project committee.

In fact, the residence of the celebrated short story writer is the only choice left in the historic Laxmi Mansion as the abodes of other important people of Lahore there have already been taken over by builders for advancing their commercial interests.

So much so the residence of former caretaker prime minister and the son-of-the soil politician Malik Meraj Khalid now houses mobile telephones outlet.

Officials say that after serious concern shown by the Dilkash Lahore Project members, the Lahore commissioner and DCO visited Laxmi Mansion and talked to the daughter of Manto who agreed to allow the administration declare their home as special premises.

But while doing so she looked towards the flats around where once people of equal standing were their neighbours and where living now looks like a nightmare in the midst of business activity.

Officials said to protect other such places the outdated list of Special Premises was being revised. They said that Laxmi Mansion became commercial as it was not on the list of special or protected premises. In fact, it had been a commercial area, allowing moneyed people to do what they wanted without being noticed by the city fathers.

“At least we are going to determine the façade of the now commercial structures that have replaced the residential quarters in Laxmi Mansion,” says a senior official.