LAHORE, Dec 22: The City District Government of Lahore has postponed its ongoing exercise to revive the Basant Festival in February next year, it is learnt.

The decision has been taken by the CDGL administration after the police officials in a last meeting of the Dilkash Lahore Project’s sub-committee straightaway refused to guarantee prevention of casualties.

Lahore Police DIG (Operations) Rai Tahir had refused to guarantee prevention of deaths and unpleasant events after the sub-committee members asked him to hold out an assurance.

“Since refusal by a senior police official in a meeting held on Dec 17, a body entrusted with the task to build consensus for holding the proposed event has no other option but to drop this idea at the moment,” a senior official told Dawn.

He said cancellation of the Dilkash Lahore Project’s main committee meeting, which was scheduled to be held on Dec 22 (Saturday) showed that there would be no more effort by the CDGL, committee members or any other concerned in this regard. “Actually the idea to celebrate Basant was floated by the CDGL. That is why the matter was handed over to a committee to take a decision. But when the police are not ready to take responsibility for preventing casualties, how can the CDGL risk organising the festival.”

He said though a formal decision by the CDGL to hold Basant subject to human safety was yet to be taken, the officials concerned had agreed in principal to stop making more efforts for the purpose.

When contacted DCO Noorul Amin Mengal said though the sub-committee members would discuss this matter in next meeting of the project steering committee by submitting a report in this regard, the CDGL would not continue holding long discussions on the issue keeping in view the refusal by the police to prevent casualties.