LAHORE, March 4: The tomb of Nawab Bahadur Khan is crumbling due to negligence of the archaeology department while the Pakistan Railways has leased out land around it to a private housing society in violation of the Railway Act 1890 and the Antiquities Act 1975 — which prohibits construction within 200 feet of a historic monument.

The mausoleum of Nawab Bahadur Khan, an Amir of Mughal Emperor Akbar who died in 1601, is located in Mughalpura to the north of Lahore-Wagah railway line.

The tomb has no epitaph or any other description of its history. The only signboard hanging there says that the building belongs to the archaeology department and is a protected monument.

Children from nearby localities use it as a playground and nobody is aware of the historical significance of the place.

There has been no renovation of the tomb for the last three decades. The only favour extended to it by the archaeology department seems to be a pillar built under its roof to prevent it from collapsing.

The tomb is visible from far away but the fact that it has been allowed to fall into disrepair is known only when one enters its premises.

The grave of Nawab Bahadur Khan is located in the middle of the tomb and is also in a shabby condition.

The tomb built of burnt bricks has an octagonal base and is crowned with an impressive double-dome. It represents one of the earliest known examples of Mughal architecture in Lahore.

The archaeology department (north circle) told Dawn that the department was given meagre funds annually for repair and maintenance of over 100 monuments across the province. This year, they had only been given Rs1.2 million for the purpose. The department was also short of workers for the upkeep of monuments, they said.

The land around the tomb has also been encroached upon. On one side of the tomb, a colony has cropped up while railway has built quarters on the other side.

According to archaeology department officials, in 1976, the then Punjab chief minister took notice of the dilapidated condition of the tomb and directed the authorities concerned to conserve the monument and develop a public park at the place.

The railway ministry ordered the PR chief engineer to transfer land measuring 16 kanal and six marlas to the archaeology department for the purpose. However, instead of carrying out the order, the PR leased out the piece of land to a private housing society in violation of Section-7 of the Railway Act 1890.

The archaeology department officials said that they had requested the railway authorities time and again for transfer of land but to no avail. The department had also served notices on the encroachers, they added.

When contacted, PR Deputy Director (Land and Estate) Humayun Rashid confirmed that the PR land around the tomb had been leased out.