Fort and Shalamar Gardens in Lahore

a) Urban Pressure;

b) Insufficient management mechanism (including incomplete legislation, lack of financial resources).

Demolition of the hydraulic works of the ShalamarGardens.

Several criteria are proposed below

Total amount provided to the property: USD 975,000 (NORAD: USD 900,000, approved in 2002; Getty Foundation: USD 75,000, approved in 2004). 

On 5 April 2006, the World Heritage Centre received a state of conservation report, dated 31 March 2006, with a copy of the two draft master plans from the State Party, one for Lahore Fort and the other for Shalamar Gardens. This report indicates that these final drafts will soon be submitted to the relevant authorities for approval.

In reply to the Committee’s Decision (29 COM 7A.25), the report provides background information concerning the transfer of management of the property from the Federal to the Provincial authorities. This transfer is intended to attain the integrated management of the property and its surrounding area, and responds to the previous lack of co-ordination between the Federal Department of Archaeology responsible for the conservation within the protected monuments, and the provincial agencies in charge of the management of the surrounding areas. Further to this positive change, the Government of Punjab is also strengthening the buffer zone, and has been considering whether or not to acquire and demolish 106 houses around the Shalamar Gardens in order to improve the buffer zone between the locality and cultural property. All staff that was posted on the property prior to the transfer has been retained at the agreement of the Federal Government.

The report also describes recent conservation efforts made by the Government of Punjab, such as improvement of the grassy lawn and the provision of visitor facilities at the Fort. Concerning the Shalamar Gardens, negotiations are underway among the relevant Government Agencies to discuss the removal of structures around the Gardens in order to provide a sufficient buffer zone. In addition, the Lahore Development Authority has been requested to prepare a proper drainage system around the Gardens to protect it from storm water, one of the major causes of destruction of the wall of the Gardens.

Furthermore, the report states that the Government of Punjab has allocated Rs. 600 million (about USD 10 million) for the conservation of the property during the next five years, and various conservation works with a high priority have already been identified.

As requested by the Committee at its 29th session (Durban, 2005), a joint UNESCO/ICOMOS reactive monitoring mission was undertaken to the property in November 2005. According to the mission report, the Directorate of Archaeology of the Punjab Provincial Government has made considerable progress in the preparation of the master plans for the Lahore Fort and the Shalamar Gardens. The master plan for the Lahore Fort has been completed and is awaiting final approval. The master plan for the Shalamar Gardens is under preparation.

However, the mission recognised that no protective and/or corrective measures have been taken concerning the hydraulic works at the Shalamar Gardens that were demolished by the construction of a Grand Trunk Road, in spite of the request made by the Committee in 2000. Neither protective measures such as fencing around the site of the demolished hydraulic works, nor consolidation works on its remaining foundations have been undertaken by the State Party.

ICOMOS also pointed out that the state of conservation of the property was generally poor, mainly due to lack of daily maintenance, encroachment, inadequate water drainage, poor visitor management, etc. Although the recent establishment of the Punjab Heritage Foundation by the Provincial Government reinforces the financial backing for the protection of the cultural property in the province, many of the projects currently under preparation for possible funding from the Foundation would not be in line with the principles outlined in the master plans under preparation. In this context, the State Party is expected to prioritise the allocation of the available resources according to the management objectives determined in the master plans which are under preparation.

The recommendations made by a UNESCO consultant in 2003 to extend the World Heritage property and its buffer zone were also supported by the ICOMOS expert. It was recommended to include the Badshahi Masjid (Royal Mosque), the Tomb of Ranjit Singh and the open areas around these structures in the core zone of the Fort, while the limit of the core zone of the Shalamar Gardens should be reviewed by integrating the Naqar Khana and all other external hydraulic elements. The definition of the buffer zones should also be re-considered accordingly. At present, the possible extension of the property has not been included in the master plans.

The ICOMOS expert also made 11 recommendations primarily aimed at ensuring co-ordination of decision making, improving property maintenance, and accelerating finalization and consolidation of the management plans developed for the two sites.