Old Lahore lapses into rack and ruin

Cleaning and disposal of garbage across the city, including Old Lahore, was the responsibility of the LWMC, WCLA

LAHORE:

Outlanders looking at Old Lahore from the bird’s eye view of a skilled documentarian’s camera lens would undoubtedly be left enchanted by the timeless majesty exuded by the royal forts, magnificent minarets and towering gates, which are the nostalgic remnants of a cultural past, where mighty elephants and magnanimous kings tramped over the same lush green flatland however, a zoomed in look at the same picture perfect scenery would reveal a rather repulsive sight, one where piles of rancid garbage are seen comfortably embracing the centuries-old marvels of history.

The Walled City of Lahore, also known colloquially as the Old Lahore, lies under the jurisdiction of two supervisory bodies, the Walled City of Lahore Authority (WCLA) and the Lahore Waste Management Company (LWMC).

Despite, billions of rupees being spent annually on their functioning, a lack of communication among the two authorities on the management and collection of waste in the gated area, has allowed the historical heritage of the inner city to be encompassed by piles of garbage, which not only tarnishes the touristic appeal of the area but also irks the residing locals, who are literally living in a pile of rubbish.

“We have been living in Old Lahore since several generations however, till date no effective cleaning mechanism is in place for disposing off the garbage, due to which piles of trash are sitting at every nook and corner. Just before the elections, candidates undertake construction and repair work here, but once the polls are over, the sanitation work is abandoned,” said Imran Hira, a resident of the inner city, who further revealed that neither the LWMC nor the WCLA were willing to take responsibility for the area’s cleanliness.

“The only time, the authorities take cleaning seriously is when some tourists are visiting,” he added.

Similarly, Faraz Chaudhary, another resident of the inner city, shared that his father and grandfather were also locals of the same area near Delhi Gate. “In spite of us paying the sewerage tax to the government through our water utility bills, the state of cleanliness in areas surrounding the Delhi Gate, is abysmal,” revealed Chaudhary, who had filed complaints to both the WCLA and LWMC on several occasions but no attention was paid.

“Whenever the WCLA is informed about the problem through a letter, it is disregarded by the higher officials of the authority and no solution comes from it,” confirmed a top bureaucrat, on the condition of anonymity.

In his defense, WCLA’s spokesperson, Muhammad Owais, claimed that the cleaning and disposal of garbage across the city, including Old Lahore, was the responsibility of the LWMC.

“Due to the lack of proper cleaning arrangements in certain areas of the inner city, we have recruited some employees for cleaning the area. We have shared a list of 29 historical places in the inner city, with the LWMC, so that better cleaning arrangements can be made before the arrival of tourists, but the places are still untidy. This is creating a negative perception among foreign tourists that perhaps Pakistan does not preserve its culture and heritage,” asserted Owais.

On the other hand, Umar Chaudhary, spokesperson of the LWMC, claimed that the management of waste in the inner city is the responsibility of the WCLA, for which they have also recruited employees.

“We have repeatedly requested the WCLA to inform us about the arrival of tourists so that we may clean the areas, but the concerned officers do not cooperate,” differed Chaudhary.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 26^th, 2024.