Lahore: Responding to a Unesco letter that expressed its concern at passing of elevated Orange Line track along the Shalamar Gardens and sought construction in front of the monument to be stopped, the Punjab government has allayed apprehensions of the organisation.
In a letter, the government claims that the Rs165 billion train project will neither cause visual barrier nor will it inflict structural damage on the monument with the passing of trains on elevated track and vibrations.
“Shalamar Gardens, located on GT Road, is one of the monuments of Pakistan which is included in the World Heritage List. In front of Shalamar Gardens, the track of orange line is elevated with maximum permissible turning radius and curves. The purpose of this special curve is to protect the integrity of this historical place and to ensure maximum possible distance from it,” reads a letter sent to the Ministry of Information, Broadcasting and National Heritage for onward submission to Unesco’s Pakistan Office.
The letter further claims that the minimum distance of the centre line of the track is 29m on one end and 22.8m on other end. The elevated structure of the Orange Line is very slim and sleek and will not create significant visual barrier. Furthermore, the track is on the other side of road and the “Soffit level” of the deck is 12m that will allow a clear view of the monument while traveling on ground. It will also provide a visual tour of Shalamar Gardens for the commuters of this train.
“Trains to be operated for Orange Line project do not fall in the category of high speed trains. The average operating velocity of the train will be 38km/hr to 42km/hr whereas the maximum operating velocity will be less than 80km/hr,” the letter said.
It states that according to a German standard, the maximum vibration velocity at the foundation level of the heritage structure shall be less than 3mm/sec. “Based on the theoretical 2D FEA model of pier-ground system of light rail train viaduct system similar to Orange Line project, it is concluded that beyond a distance of 10-12m from the main pier of rail the ground borne vibrations (GBV) are negligible (0.30mm/sec). Piers supported on deep piles transmit the loads to greater depths,” it reads.
“It is ensured that Orange Line project will not cause any reversible/irreversible damage to Shalamar Gardens. Its integrity and outstanding universal value will not be compromised at any stage,” the letter assures.
Mr Mechtilf Rossier (director, World Heritage Centre, Unesco, Paris) had written a letter on Oct 29 to Mr Ghalib Iqbal, permanent delegate of Pakistan to Unseco, and sought details about the project. He stated in the letter that the World Heritage Centre (cultural division of Unesco) had received a series of reports expressing concern at the state of conservation of Shalamar Gardens due to urban development project being implemented in Lahore by the government of Punjab.
“…The above-mentioned project might result in more serious and irreversible damage to the property and its outstanding universal value for which it was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1981,” the letter stated. It advised the Unesco Pakistan-based authorities to get details of the project in line with the provisions of paragraph-172 of the operational guidelines for the implementation of the world heritage convention.
Meanwhile, the civil society continues protest and demands that the government change the project route and use technology to execute such a mega scheme.
Read : “Orange Line may cause serious damage to Shalamar Gardens” claims Unesco
