Agreement signed for renovation of Lahore Fort

Lahore: The Punjab government, the Walled City of Lahore Authority (WCLA), and the Agha Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) signed an agreement for the renovation of Lahore Fort, according to the news published in the leading newspaper on October 5. 

Read: WCLA discovers 400-year-old tunnel at Lahore Fort

Earlier in July, the French government, represented by Agence Française de Développement (AFD), signed a financing agreement with the federal government for the project worth EUR 22 million. Under this agreement, the French government was to provide technical and financial support for the renovation of Lahore Fort. The Punjab government and AFD signed the latest lending agreement in the presence of WCLA and AKTC. 

The financing of the Heritage and Urban Regeneration (HURL) project in Lahore will span over five years and is expected to restore and enhance the Lahore Fort. It was also mentioned that the project will strengthen its resilience, expand tourism development by including the neighbourhoods around the fort, generate additional employment and income, and build the capacity of WCLA and its partners. This is the first project in the French government’s efforts to help rehabilitate heritage across South Asia.

Read: WCLA issues warning against illegal construction, decaying building

Additionally, the authority will also rehabilitate Summer Palace in the fort, will develop a museum, and start electric carts for the tourists. In another development, the WCLA has completed the conservation of a tomb of a senior French Army Officer General Jean Francois Allard in Anarkali, known as ‘Kuri Bagh’, at the cost of PKR 3.9 million. As per the details, the French General joined the army of Maharaja Ranjeet Singh. The conservation and renovation project was funded by the French government. Under this initiative, the renovation and conservation of the tomb, entrance gate, flooring, drainage system, outdoor furniture, and landscaping were included.