LAHORE: Civil society activists staged on Thursday a demonstration at the GPO intersection demanding the issuance of a notification that none of the historical buildings or city heritage sites would be affected due to the construction of Lahore Orange Line Metro project.

“We pay thanks to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif for taking notice of our protest, assuring the civil society and public at large that none of the historical site or heritage site would be demolished, partially or completely, because of the project,” Lahore Batchao Tehreek (LBT) chief Imrana Tiwana told Dawn at the protest scene.

“We demand the construction be carried out through tunnel technology that was earlier approved in the light of a study by the Japan International Cooperation Agency,” Ms Tiwana said.

About importance of the GPO, Lahore Conservation Society information secretary Dr Ajaz Anwar said the building was constructed in the British era in 1880s and then engineers had used four-inch bricks in the building for the first time. He said since a clock tower was also built at the building, the GPO was considered to be the biggest facility from Peshawar to Delhi of then Punjab till 1911. He said a five-foot portion of the GPO veranda had reportedly been marked for demolition, the digging work on the road would hamper the foundations/structure of the GPO building.

Published in Dawn, November 6th, 2015

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