Lahore:Tourism and Archaeology Department (TAD) Punjab has approached Parks and Horticulture Authority (PHA) Lahore for further beautification of the historic Shalamar Gardens in the provincial metropolis.
A meeting regarding the beautification of Shalimar Gardens was held with the Adviser to CM on Tourism Asif Mehmood in the chair at the Tourism Department. Secretary TAD Capt (R) Mushtaq Ahmad, DG PHA Jawad Ahmad Qureshi, DG Archaeology Ilyas Gill, Director Archaeology Maqsood Malik and Director PHA Syed Farhat Abbas were also present.
The Adviser to the Chief Minister vowed that under the policy of preservation and beautification of heritage sites of Punjab Government, Shalamar Gardens will be taken care of accordingly. “Shalamar has been attracting tourists and lovers of heritage sites for centuries and with the growing number of visitors, it needs to be looked after in a more organized way,” he said. He said that the government was committed to protecting the heritage sites across the province in the same manner.
DG PHA briefed about the overall situation of the historical site which is recognized by UNESCO as world heritage. Presently, 20 to 25 gardeners are working in the garden but at least 40 are required for the purpose, said DG PHA. The adviser asked the DG PHA to properly train the new staff.
Mehmood, who is also the chairman of PHAs in Punjab, directed the DG to take necessary measures to meet the challenge of shortage of staff saying that Punjab is home to many famous landmarks including the Shalamar Gardens. We want to attract more tourists to generate more revenue, he added.
The Secretary Tourism Mushtaq Ahmad directed DG Archaeology to look after historical irrigation systems at gardens and complete work of instalment of sprinklers on a priority basis. The ACM asked for a comprehensive progress report from the concerned departments after two weeks.