— Arch dpt director claims 80pc work is done
LAHORE: Due to the non-availability of funds and inappropriate planning, the project of conservation and development of Noor Jahan’s Tomb in Shahdara is still pending whereas the Directorate General of Archeology Punjab (DGAP) claims they have completed almost 80pc of the work, Pakistan Today learnt on Tuesday.
Sources told Pakistan Today that the project was originally approved at an estimated cost of Rs177.510 million in November 2013 and was due to be completed in six years. Later, the project was revised in 2017 with an estimated cost of Rs176.78 million.
The project had to be revised because the funds for the first year 2013-14 were not released until April 2014. It was not possible to utilize Rs30.588 million at that stage, hence, only Rs1 million was utilized by Punjab Building Department and remaining was surrendered. Due to this reason, no conservation work could be carried out in the first year.
Sources revealed that the department was expected to complete the documentation of the proposed conservation work and consolidate the monument including edging of old and original kankar lime plaster to save it from its further deterioration and to prolong its life. It was also to fill stained mortar motifs on the north side of façade and the cracks on the main roof.
Any other wear and tear found at the time of conservation was also to be fixed.
The department was also supposed to excavate the foundation of the monument in all kind of soil including backfilling and site cleanup, set up the conservation works which includes kankar lime plaster work, restoration of Ghalib Kari work, fixing of red sandstone, providing and laying of modern brick masonry in the foundation of the monument and preparing and laying perforated white marble jali.
They added that much of the work was dependent on the supply of red sandstone from India, which took a long time. The sandstone was finally released in June 2015 and work did not start till the end of the year.
“Due to the slow nature of work and availability of limited skilled labor, the conservation work could not be completed within the approved gestation period. Therefore, the scheme was revised, and the project gestation period was enhanced up to 30th June 2019,” they added.
This scribe learned that the project couldn’t be funded adequately during its gestation period and the released funds were lesser than the amount as per revised project cycle-1 (PC-I).
“The total expenditure of the project from its commencement in January 2014 till the end of June 2018 remained Rs. 119.197 million which is 67.4% of PC-I revised cost,” sources lamented.
Hence, they added, the government should release funds in time and the DGAP should devise a mechanism to calculate the consumption of red sandstone for all archeological sites in Punjab for next five years to avoid time wastage.
However, officials claim that work is underway and is due to be completed soon. Archeology Department Director Malik Maqsood Ahmed told Pakistan Today: “The Ghalib Kari work is completed on the site and 80pc kankar lime plaster, 75pc red sand stonework and 60pc white marble façade work has also been completed.”
Ahmed claimed that the government has released funds for the project and purchasing of all material is under process. Moreover, a conservation supervisor has not been hired because the department already has conservation experts.
“We have completed almost 80pc of the work and the project will be completed by 2019-2020. Meanwhile, the site is open for public and we have maintained the parks,” he asserted.
