WCLA starts rehabilitation of buildings

LAHORE
The Walled City of Lahore Authority (WCLA) has kicked off a massive project for façade rehabilitation and infrastructure improvement works, which will cover several decaying monuments and high architecture valued buildings.
Officials said this project would cover all the major buildings from Chowk Purani Kotwali to Lahore Fort. They added that major places and buildings being covered in this work were Chowk Purani Kotwali, Kashmiri Block, Azam Cloth Market, Chunna Mandi College, Moti Bazaar, Mariam Zamani Mosque and Akbari Gate of Lahore Fort.
The WCLA named the project as Package-2 and its trail length was 750 meters, while streets length was 2,428 meters. They said about 261 residential and 246 commercial properties would come under this project. The commercial properties are situated at Azam Cloth Market, Pakistan Cloth Market, Rim Market and Moti Bazaar. Officials said the project would be completed in August 2018.
The work has been started with the community and traders' participation and the WCLA had signed agreements with the local stakeholders. Designs of buildings to be rehabilitated have also been shared with the locals.
The social mobilisation team of the WCLA has carried out initial meetings with the local community and traders. In this patch, the main bulk is of the markets and traders are the primary stakeholders.
The project was started in early August and so far eight buildings had been completed in terms of façade rehabilitation and 15 were in progress. In the first phase of the project, the façade rehabilitation will take place and then the team will move on to the infrastructure development.
Previously in January 2015, the WCLA completed the package-1 from Delhi Gate to Chowk Kotwali. The same interventions were made there on the basis of which the work iwas being carried out in the current package-2.
WCLA’s Director Conservation and Planning Najmus Saquib said the hurdles were a lot in this project because of the traffic and influx of the people. All the precautionary measures have been taken during the work for the public as well as the labour. He said special devices, cameras and uniforms were provided.
Shahid Durrani, Director Infrastructure, said only delay was because of the traffic and influx of the people in the area as it was the main commercial area of the walled city. Most of the work has to be carried out at night. Special generators and UPS systems have been installed to avoid any unpleasant incidents and delay in work. None of the commercial unit will be closed and no commercial activity will be hampered during this work. We have made alternate arrangements for the community to keep them at ease.
Nosheen Zaidi, Deputy Director Social Mobilisation, said the traders' community had been very cooperative with us in this project. People are very satisfied with the work done in the package -1. “We have signed MoUs and agreements with all the residential and traders' community of this area. After package -1, the work is much easier now as we have set an example previously. The community is happy on the improvements of their houses and shops,” she added.
Director General, WCLA Kamran Lashari, said this was a project for the welfare of the community. “Most of the work will be done underground, which includes electricity, water and telecom services,” he said adding the authority will also be working on the beautification and improvement of the locality for the tourists.
“We want these markets to be as good as any other market in greater Lahore so that people can easily come here for shopping as well as entertainment,” he concluded.