LHC gives green light to reconstruct royal kitchen

CJ says the kitchen cannot be used for commercial purposes

LAHORE: Chief Justice Lahore High Court Syed Mansoor Ali Shah gave the green signal to theWalled City of Lahore Authority on Monday to conserve the royal kitchen at the Lahore Fort.

However, he added no permission would be granted for the kitchen to be used for commercial purposes. The LHC chief justice was hearing a petition moved by Imrana Tiwana who challenged the construction of the restaurant at the fort building.

She contended that the construction of a restaurant was unlawful and would destroy the fort, which is on the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.



She told the court that use of the fort for commercial purposes would risk conservation efforts and the construction of an eatery in the royal kitchen should be declared illegal and unlawful. However, Advocate Khurram Chughtai, the counsel for the Walled City of Lahore Authority, opposed the petition.

He stated no restaurant was being built at the site of the royal kitchen; rather conservation work was being carried out for its protection. The counsel said that no food is being cooked there.



The Chief Justice observed that “the court will not allow the use of the royal kitchen for commercial purposes,” CJ Shah observed that the authority, in its advertisement, had mentioned that food would be served at the royal kitchen.

The WCLA counsel stressed that the correct wording had not been used in the advertisement.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 12^th, 2017.