LAHORE, April 9: The interim Punjab government has dropped the proposal to revive Basant festival after caretaker Chief Minister Najam Sethi ‘surrendered’ to its detractors.

After assuming charge of chief minister’s office, Sethi had directed the departments concerned, including the City District Government of Lahore, to devise a viable plan for the event.

Sources told Dawn on Tuesday that following their provincial chief executive’s interest, senior Punjab government and CDGL officials initiated an extensive exercise amid discussions with stakeholders in order to hold Basant.

“Finally the CDGL prepared an action plan and recommended holding the event on April 14 and 15 at two places, Safari Park on Raiwind Road and Jallo Park along Canal Road,” an official privy to the development told this reporter.

He said since the CDGL submitted the plan to the quarters concerned of the Punjab government, a high-level meeting was held on Monday in order to take a final decision to the effect.

The source said participants in the meeting discussed the plan at length and found certain bottlenecks in holding Basant even at the proposed sites. He said the participants also received negative feedback from the police.

He said the issues relating to ongoing protests amid warning by a banned outfit (Jamatud Dawa) against Basant and upcoming elections were also discussed in the meeting.

“After holding the meeting, the senior officials met with the CM and recommended him to drop the plan. Eventually the CM directed the officials to shelve the plan,” the official said. The CDGL had also planned Basant under aegis of the Dilkash Lahore Project in November-end last year.

A project’s sub-committee had decided to drop the plan after police officials straightaway refused to guarantee prevention of casualties during the event. “Since refusal by a senior police official in the Dec 17 sub-committee’s meeting, the CDGL was left with no other option but to drop the idea at that time,” another city district official said.

Criticising the decision, Lahore Conservation Society’s secretary and social activist Prof Ajaz Anwar said since there was no harm in celebrating the event in its original shape, the government should have revived it for the sake of people.