Horticulture on Lahore Fort premises being replaced

LAHORE
IN a bid to restore the original Mughal era culture at the Lahore Fort, the Walled City of Lahore Authority (WCLA) has started replacing the horticulture on the premises.
Sources in WCLA said that during the past 50 years, a large number of modern plants were planted in the fort which had no link with the old times. Sources said these plants were being replaced by the plants which were part of the fort during the Mughal era.
Sources said Ficus and polyanthes (Ashoka) were being replaced by Thooja Orientalis (Mor Pankh), red roses, Night Blooming Jasmine (Raat Ki Rani) and Jasmine (Chambeli). They said the trees and plants had been selected after studying several historic accounts and WCLA’s horticulture team had conducted detailed research and then proposed these plants.
Senior officials of WCLA said that the replacement of horticulture would take place in a phased manner. They said in the first phase, Deewan-e-Aam area and two huge lawns till Akbari Gate had been replaced with new plants. Seasonal flowers are also being planted.
Director General WCLA Kamran Lashari said the authority was trying its best to beautify the Lahore Fort and this was one of the steps. Being a World Heritage Site, it should be green and plants would add to beauty and grandeur of the area, he concluded.
Asif Zaheer, Marketing Director WCLA said the authority was using nutrients to improve the grassy lawns and keep them green throughout the year. “We have planted new plants Thooja Orientalis (Mor Pankh) in the Deewan-e-Aam area and now we will be moving ahead to other parts of the Fort,” he said, adding that the existing plants did not match the mood and ambiance of the Fort that is why we decided to give Fort its original look.
Ahsan Khalid, Assistant Director Parks and Horticulture, said the authority lacked manpower due to which improvement of horticulture and landscaping of the fort was moving on a slow pace.
“We are trying to make a difference in limited resources,” he said, adding that the authority would improve the condition of grass.
He said the steps were already cleared and we would be doing this in other parts of the Fort, he concluded.