WCLA to demolish 320 shops of Rim Market

LAHORE: Walled City of Lahore Authority (WCLA) has planned removal of Rim Market soon by developing a buffer zone around the Lahore Fort.

Sources said Agence Française de Développement (AFD) and WCLA will be carrying out this project together and Aga Khan Trust for Culture has also extended their technical services for this project. They added that the project teams, including AFD and WCLA have completed the planning phase for the development of buffer zone and almost 320 shops will be removed in this project.

Almost 320 shops out of which 106 are of the Rim Market, whereas other shops included shoe material makers, shoe market, utensil shops, vehicle mechanics, barber shops and dye makers will be removed in the proposed project.

If executed successfully, this will be termed the biggest anti-encroachment operation ever carried out in the walled city area, locals said. They said majority of the shops were built on the government land and all are encroachments. Knowing the fact, WCLA has planned to pay market based compensations to the shopkeepers to remove these decades’ old encroachments.

Most of the shops marked for demolition are of the Rim Market while some shops are from shoe market and Moti Bazaar, which are around Mariam Zamani Mosque. It is further proposed in the plan that Mariam Zamani Mosque will be connected with the Lahore Fort through a garden.

The planning was in process since last five months and several meetings and study sessions over it were conducted by WCLA whereas negotiations with the traders of the area were also done. All necessary surveys and resettlement plan for the encroachments have also been devised.

Sources said that the area opposite the Lahore Fort from the side of Akbari Gate was heavily encroached and Mariam Zamani Mosque was also hidden behind shops. It was not an easy thing to make way to the Mosque whereas the shoes hanging on its wall facing Moti Bazaar were damaging the sanctity of the Mosque.

Sources added that previously several plans were made to move the Rim Market, which has been an ugly addition to the locality but the process could not go beyond the planning phase. “Let’s hope that WCLA is able to achieve this uphill task, said Muhammad Zubair, a local resident. Tania Qureshi, Deputy Director Media and Marketing WCLA said Mariam Zamani Mosque also known as Begum Shahi Masjid was one of the oldest mosques built by the Mughals and was also called as mother of all mosques in Lahore.

This mosque was once connected with the fort by a garden until the British came and developed Circular Road which disconnected the fort from the city, she said adding the mosque was primarily for the females of the fort who would access it through the Akbari Gate of the fort, which was the original gate during Akbar’s reign. Through this project the fort’s connection with the city will be revived, she maintained.

Nosheen Zaidi, Deputy Director Social Mobilisation, WCLA, said the project has been taken up with the international consultants and hopefully it will soon be implemented. The project has two phases, the first phase includes removal of commercial markets and second phase would deal with the rehabilitation of Mariam Zamani Mosque and developing the areas around it to connect it back with the Lahore Fort, she revealed. “To avoid any inconvenience and social issues by the traders we have taken them on board and have already held several meetings with them. Three houses will also be acquired by the WCLA for the development of this buffer zone,” Nosheen maintained.

The surveys conducted for this project include commercial survey, individual focus census and gender survey under the head of resettlement survey and all these have been completed by the social mobilisation team of WCLA.

Asif Zaheer, Director Marketing and Social Mobilisation, WCLA, said that the authority has been working with AFD consultants on the project and Aga Khan Trust for Culture had also been engaged as the technical partners so that all technicalities are looked after with expertise and there are no loopholes left in the project.

This project will also include the restoration and development of Ali Park as a tourist spot. Under this project, WCLA will also be connecting the Mariam Zamani Mosque with Lahore Fort and a hotel for tourists, boutique cafes, souvenir shops underground parking and other tourists’ facilities will be made. This will also connect with the Royal Trail which starts from Delhi Gate and ends at Akbari Gate of Lahore Fort. Once this project is complete it will be the hotspot of tourists, he concluded.