Forgotten heritage

As the centuries-old Lahore Fort continues to fall apart bit by bit, with its Mughal-age structures literally being allowed to rot away, bureaucratic delays mean the Walled City of Lahore Authority has not been able to gain control of the funds required to save a structure that is a Unesco Heritage Site. The fact that we care nothing about this, or about the layers of history that lies within the brick, sandstone and marble buildings of the Fort is underscored by the fact that the mirror-adorned Sheesh Mahal has not been open for public viewing for the last five years or more. The key problem lies in the fact that, while control of the Lahore Fort was formally transferred to the WCLA in October 2014, the Punjab Heritage Foundation Fund, previously responsible for the site, has not transferred funds. A high-level meeting chaired by the Punjab chief secretary, has been told the Board of that body had not met since 2005. The chief secretary has ordered funds be handed over to the WCLA immediately so that the much-needed work can begin.
We hope these orders will be followed. There has been too long a delay already in beginning work to save a building which should never, in the first place, have been permitted to reach its present state of near ruin. The WCLA has put forward a Rs900 million plan to save it. Officials from the organisation also told a meeting held recently that they had a plan to build souvenir shops, open up closed buildings and make the Fort a more tourist-friendly place. This is what is most seriously needed. Lahore stands at the centre of Mughal heritage. Tourists need to be drawn in once again to visit the city. The plan put forward by the WCLA appears to be rather sensible. The funds needed to move ahead with it must be arranged, so that work can begin to save the Fort.. We need to preserve our heritage. The manner in which we have treated the Fort is tragic. We must salvage it.