Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar chaired the 7th meeting of the Walled City of Lahore Authority (WCLA) at his office to review its progress on various initiatives.
The establishment of the heritage institute was approved in principle along with the approval of extension in the contract of DG WCLA Kamran Lashari. The meeting reviewed implementation on the master conservation plan and deliberated upon proposals to shift the rim market outside the city.
The meeting was told that a ceremony will be held in Lahore in November to declare Lahore and Baku city of Azerbaijan as twin cities.
Three years performance report was presented before the meeting and DG WCLA Kamran Lashari briefed that six projects had been completed while 10 other projects valuing Rs. 50 million were under completion adding that four projects were in progress including restoration of dilapidated historic buildings of the walled city. The drainage system had been restored with four billion rupees with assistance from France and WCLA will also carry out historic buildings’ restoration projects in Zhob, Mardan and Muzaffarabad, he added. Chief Secretary, ACS, chairperson heritage conservation board of WCLA Yousaf Salahuddin, commissioner Lahore, secretaries of Auqaf and Information departments, consultant Aga Khan Cultural Services Pakistan and others attended the meeting. The meeting made an in-principle decision to bring Badshahi Mosque under the purview of WCLA. The CM gave in-principle approval to restore the historic grandeur of Bhatti Gate adding that WCLA will revamp Badshahi Mosque, Bibi Pak Daman, Hazrat Bahauddin Zakariya, Hazrat Shah Rukan-e-Alam, Hazrat Shah Shams Tabrez and Khawaja Ghulam Fareed.
