Historical havelies await conservation

LAHORE

Walled City of Lahore Authority (WCLA) has so far failed to start conservation, rehabilitation and renovation of any of its identified 356 buildings, including over a dozen havelies of high architectural value, The News has learnt.

WCLA had declared some 365 buildings, including over a dozen havelies (mansions) as high architectural heritage properties and stopped owners of these buildings from demolishing or making any kind of physical change in these structures. Majority of these buildings are in a shambles and need immediate repair/rehabilitation work, sources said, adding WCLA has no extra funds to preserve these structures.

Sources claimed that out of the dozen havelies, WCLA had initially identified four havelies (Lal Haveli, Haveli Raja Dhiyan Singh, Noori Haveli and Haveli Dina Nath) to be conserved and renovated under a pilot project. However, since 2013 the authority is trying to find out an investor/partner/funds to launch this project. Even the Punjab government didn’t pay any attention to the WCLA plans, which were submitted to chief secretary Punjab in October 2013 for the same project. It is pertinent to mention here that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had directed handing over of top monuments to the authority and also directed the Punjab government to ensure full support to the authority for conservation, renovation and rehabilitation of Lahore’s culture and heritage.

Sources in WCLA revealed that in September 2013, chief secretary Punjab held a meeting in pursuance of the prime minister's directions regarding the WCLA issues. The meeting was attended by several provincial secretaries and senior officials of various departments. Besides other decisions, it was also agreed in the meeting that WCLA DG will send a note to the chief secretary identifying havelies, which were decaying, to be acquired by the government for restoration.

Sources maintained that WCLA DG Kamran Lashari wrote a letter to the chief secretary Punjab on October 21, 2013 in which he said after conducting a survey the authority has identified four havelies, including Lal Haveli, inside Lohari Gate, Haveli Raja Dhiyan Singh, inside Texali Gate, Noori Haveli, inside Lohari Gate and Haveli Dina Nath, inside Delhi Gate for urgent intervention of the government.

Senior WCLA official Tanya Qureshi said all these havelies had already been declared high architectural heritage properties. She said besides these havelies, some 355 other properties were also served notices of being considered as high architectural heritage properties. She said the heritage we possess need to be preserved by any means.

Giving individual details of these havelies, she said Lal Haveli is situated inside Lohari Gate and is a residential structure that has best preserved cut and chased brick work with plaster moulding on a fair faced brick ground having exquisite wooden Jharokas on the three principal floors. The brick work has been kept painted over the decades with a coat of hurmuchi, or red ochre paint, which gave the house its name. There is a local tradition that the Haveli was built by the Maharaja of Kashmir sometimes in 19th century.

She added that Haveli Dhiyan Singh is situated inside Texali Gate. This Sikh era Haveli is more spacious than many others in the Walled City. The existing part of this Haveli, which we see today, is the court of Raja Dhiyan Singh while the residential part of the Haveli has been demolished or sold. Till 2004, the Haveli was used as a school but since the last 10 years it is lying vacant. Likewise, Haveli Dina Nath is situated in the Phoolon Wali Gali inside Delhi Gate, Lahore. The architecture of Haveli Dina Nath has been changed enough till the present day. In old times, there was a fountain in the courtyard of Haveli. Moreover, there was a room which was used as a Hindu Temple but, after partition and according to the needs of residents of this Haveli, many parts of Haveli were changed, Tanya stated.

Kamran Lashari, WCLA Director General, said the authority is trying to engage the government as well as the private sector to preserve the tangible and intangible culture and heritage of the city. He said maintenance of havelies is a big issue and WCLA didn’t have enough funds for this purpose. What we want is to make these havelies self-earning, he said, adding all efforts are being taken for conservation and restoration of heritage.