CM Punjab Chairs 7th Walled City of Lahore Authority Meeting to Review Progress

24/09/21

Chief Minister Punjab Sardar Usman Buzdar chaired the 7th meeting of the Walled City of Lahore Authority at his office to review progress. The meeting was told that a ceremony will be held in Lahore in November to declare Lahore and Baku city of Azerbaijan as twin cities. The establishment of the heritage institute was approved in principle along with the approval of extension in the contract of DG WCLA Kamran Lashari. The meeting reviewed implementation on the master conservation plan and deliberated upon proposals to shift the rim market outside the city. Three years performance report was presented before the meeting and DG WCLA Kamran Lashari briefed that six projects have been completed while ten other projects valuing Rs. 50 crore are under completion adding that four projects are in progress including restoration of dilapidated historic buildings of the walled city. The drainage system has been restored with four billion rupees with assistance from France and WCLA will also carry out historic buildings’ restoration projects in Zhob, Mardan and Muzaffarabad, he added. Chief Secretary, ACS, chairperson heritage conservation board of WCLA Yousaf Salahuddin, commissioner Lahore, secretaries of auqaf and information departments, consultant of Aga Khan Cultural Services Pakistan and others attended the meeting. The meeting made an in-principle decision to bring Badshahi Mosque under the purview of WCLA. The CM gave in-principle approval to restore the historic grandeur of Bhatti Gate adding that WCLA will revamp Badshahi Mosque, Bibi Pak Daman, Hazrat Bahauddin Zakariya, Hazrat Shah Rukan-e-Alam, Hazrat Shah Shams Tabrez and Khawaja Ghulam Fareed. Similarly, historic worship places, including that of minority communities, will also be restored in different cities by the WCLA. It will carry out Dilkash City in Lahore, Bahawalpur, Multan, Muridke and Faisalabad while historic Bradley Hall in Lahore and Barkat Ali Khan Hall will be opened after necessary repair work. The CM directed to take steps for opening Roshnai Gate to the public and further directed to restore the hundred-year-old building of DC office Sargodha. The restoration work on the mausoleum of Mir Chakar Azam Rind in Okara be expedited and the park, museum and shops be established around it, he added.