The old Walled City, in Lahore’s north, boasts a historic significance.

There was a time when almost the entire population of the city could be confined within its space that was surrounded by a wall and the residents could enter or exit only through the gates built along the wall. Many of these gates are still there, while a few have vanished, though the localities in their immediate vicinity are still named after them.

Today, the Walled City comprises Union Councils (UCs) 27, 28, 29 and 30 of Ravi Town with their boundaries defined by the Walled City Lahore Act 2012 as per the territorial limits. The mostly congested Circular Road surrounds these UCs and gives a general idea to the people about the areas that form the historic Walled City.

Life inside the Walled City has always inspired historians as well as visitors owing to its unique culture and traditions. The city is said to have been populated for centuries, through generations. Its inhabitants take pride in being associated with it. Wherever they go, and whatever conversations these people have, everything is centred round the bounties of living here.

For many, leaving the Walled City at any point in time is totally unimaginable. And, there are those who moved out only to return, because they failed to adjust any place else.

But this does not mean the population of the Walled City has not shifted base. It sure has, and the major reason for this has been the discomfort they were experiencing at the hands of unhampered commercialisation of this once-predominantly residential area.

There was a time when the place was a happy home to bazaars that lined its different trails and in different localities. These catered to the needs of the locals and would add colour to life in the Walled City. Unfortunately, the present-day Walled City has become the hub of a highly intensive, wholesale trade activity that is fast eating up the residential areas and depriving the locals of their right to privacy.

Rauf Iqbal, a resident of Androon Lohari Gate, says he had to move out due to "an unavoidable reason." He goes on to explain, "It was becoming impossible for me and my family to tolerate the fuss that the construction of two illegal plazas in our street had created. There were fights as the workers at these sites would throw out the debris in the street, literally blocking it."

Iqbal’s family members, especially his school-going girls, also had to deal with the piercing looks of the construction workers who would hang around throughout the day. It came to a point where the owners’ men doubted that Iqbal had complained against them with the relevant authority and abused him in front of scores of people.

There are several other cases of outmigration -- an activity that continues to this day.

In the 1971 Census, the city population count stood at a little above 206, 000, and whereas the national average grew at a steady rate, the population of the Walled City declined to around 161,000 in the 1998 Census and was estimated to be around 145,000 in a planning study conducted in 2008. It is believed that the population of the Walled City shall have gone further down by now.

In a report submitted in the Lahore High Court (LHC) recently, renowned architect Kamil Khan Mumtaz notes, "Almost 21 major regional wholesale markets are located within or around the Walled City. It has been established through several planning studies including the one carried out by Aga Khan Cultural Service Pakistan in 2008 that the reason for this decline in population is the rampant overcommercialisation which is taxing the environment and overburdening the available physical and social infrastructure, causing the quality of life within the Walled City to deteriorate."

Mumtaz had been appointed amicus curiae by the court and asked to dwell on the status of the illegal constructions and unlawful use of residential properties for commercial purposes within the limits of the Walled City. This assignment was related to the writ petition by a local Asif Ali Mirza versus the Government of Punjab on the issue.

Talking to TNS, Kamil Khan Mumtaz shares the findings of the study that revealed that while the overall impact of the local economy on the income and the wellbeing of entrepreneurs in the Walled City was substantially positive, most entrepreneurs lived outside the Walled City, and the contribution of economy to the resident population was minimal.

"The affluent residents and centres of economic power have shifted outside," he adds. "Those still based inside the Walled City need empowerment. The wholesale traders are mostly not living there and, hence, not concerned about its issues."

He says that he made several visits to the area and held meetings with the locals, the WCLA and others, and found that the illegal construction activity continued on, all construction was meant for commercial purposes, the buildings were being put to use without any safety measures, the construction methods and techniques employed were sub-standard.

The building mafia often finds a way to flout the bylaws. For example, they construct the buildings and later add a basement or two. Besides, they gather the building material at night time and work during the day without being seen. Sometimes, the labourers are made to work behind closed shutters.

Kamran Lashari, DG WCLA, confirms that there are certain issues regarding the enforcement of laws in the Walled City but he is quick to add that the situation is improving fast.

He says that even though laws have been passed, many of these have not been notified yet. "One reason for this is that the government thinks it should wait for the local government system to be in place."

Lashari also says the culture and traditions of the Walled City have been such that the building bylaws are hard to force. That is why the WCLA has held Open Courts in the area and tried to convince the residents that they themselves will be the biggest beneficiaries in case the building bylaws are enforced.

"We grant NOCs to people regarding construction work in their premises but sometimes they violate the conditions and indulge in activities they are not stated in their requests. The authority has so far 265 FIRs registered against such violators. If the cases reach the court of judicial magistrate, he may impose fines within the range of Rs5,000-10,000. This is no big deterrent!"

Lashari also expresses his reservations about the role of the police, saying that they mostly arrest labourers from illegal construction sites. "Reaching and arresting the affluent owners is obviously not an easy task for them.

"The authority has requested the Punjab government to provide special police to us and magistracy powers so that we can overcome the difficulties."

He reveals that the WCLA has halted construction of a commercial plaza in Masti Gate area "despite pressure," installed CCTVs to monitor illegal construction activities including the movement of construction material, and also improved the quality of life of people along its project area -- the Royal Trail.

"We are determined to up the scale and enhance the impact of our work and replicate the service delivery model introduced in Delhi Gate area. All we need are the powers and legal framework required to carry it out."

On the other hand, Kamil Khan Mumtaz stresses on the fact that the efforts by the authorities will not yield results till the wholesale markets are shifted from the Walled City: "If these stay there, the residents won’t."

Jahangir Humayun, a resident of Northern Lahore, with business interests in the Walled City, is not ready to believe that this can happen. He says that all previous governments made such claims but not even a single wholesale market ever was shifted. "How can they even think of moving 21 [wholesale] markets in one go?"

The task becomes even more difficult for the sitting government that relies a lot on the support of the business and traders community, he says.

"It’s the first choice for the immediate neighbourhoods of Badami Bagh Bus Station and Lahore Railway Station, to set up wholesale markets. This facilitates the buyers coming from all parts of the country in transportation of goods."

In the end, he asks a pertinent question: "Is the government in a position to set up this whole ecosystem somewhere else?"