Lahore gives feeling of a changed city to Peshawar journalists

PESHAWAR: The completely changed look of Lahore gives one the feeling of a ‘New Lahore’ in the real sense. It also verifies the fact that there is great difference between doing work and making tall claims.
The government of Punjab arranged a visit for a select group of Peshawar-based journalists last week to show them some of its success stories in particular and the overall condition of the provincial capital in general.
Almost all members of the group were amazed to see the large-scale development that has taken place in the city during the last few years and the mega projects about to be initiated. “It’s a changed city. It gives me the feeling of a ‘Naya Lahore’. We have been hearing the term of Naya Pakhtunkhwa, which exists nowhere,” one of the visiting journalists told this reporter after the two-day trip.
The organisers of the tour had arranged the trip in such a manner that they showed their best projects to the reporters and also provided them a chance to have an independent visit of the city. Even the slums in the city were developed to the extent that they looked better compared to those in other cities such as Peshawar.
The first place that the visiting journalists visited was the traditional “Heera Mandi” which has been converted into a food street. This place no more carries any sign of the so-called “cultural activities” for which it was widely known.
It looked great to see families thronging the place to enjoy delicious food. No objectionable activity could be seen there in the name of culture. All the “balakhanas” in the market have become food outlets. Sitting on the top of one such outlet - The Haveli - one could see the spacious courtyard and the beautiful minarets and domes of the historic Badshahi Masjid, which gives a more impressive look in the lights of the night.
According to Punjab government spokesman Zaeem Qaderi, who hosted a dinner at The Haveli for the visiting journalists, the people involved in the “cultural activities” in the area were very happy to leave the place and their occupation. “They have now started doing petty indoor businesses like stitching, embroidery and others. They themselves were tired of the activities, which earned them less profit and more disrepute and they were happy to leave it for a small but honourable job in which the Punjab government supported them,” he said.
There is, however, a counter narrative to what Zaeem Qaderi claimed as some people believe that after being forced out of “Heera Mandi” its inhabitants have spread in the whole city. Zaeem Qaderi stressed that only a few “Balakhanas” existed in other parts of the city and have obtained license that they would stick to cultural activities only.
The second place the Peshawar journalists visited was the state-of-the-art Punjab Forensic Science Agency. It was news for our group that this agency was the second largest facility of forensic sciences in the world and was equipped with the most modern techniques and scientists.
Owing to its professionalism, the agency has even got repute in the developed countries of the world besides earning confidence of Pakistani law-enforcement agencies and judiciary. The good news for the Peshawar journalists was that the agency has provided assistance to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in establishment of a forensic laboratory in Swat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The agency has trained a team of 18 officials of Forensic Science Laboratory, Swat through an extensive training programme of six months.
The Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) had developed some unique digital programmes to improve the performance of the government. Some of its major initiatives have also been replicated in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The registration of online First Information Reports (FIRs) had actually been developed by the PITB in collaboration with the Lahore Police, when the incumbent Inspector General of Police, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Nasir Khan Durrani was deputy inspector general operation there.
According to Burhan, who developed this programme, it was not an online FIR, but a mere complaint can be registered online, while for the FIR one has to go to police station. Some other initiatives of the board, especially in law and order, education and health sectors, are also being replicated in KP, said Dr Umar Said, chairman of the board.
The major programmes that the board had developed so far are the Dengue Activity Tracking System, e-learn Punjab, Disease Surveillance System, Citizens Facilitation Centre, e-stamping, integrated command and control system of Punjab Police, Public Management Reforms Programme, Citizens Feedback Monitoring System, Smart Monitoring System of Schools, Crime Investigation Reporting System and Flood Monitoring System. These programmes are aimed at preventing crimes, ensuring justice, curbing corruption and improving governance, said Umer Said.
At the same building of PITB, the central control room for Lahore Metro Bus has been set up. The entire operation of the metro bus is monitored and controlled from a spacious hall there. The general manager operations of Metro Bus informed that on an average 0.13 million people avail the facility of the bus daily. He said it has reduced the rush on the roads in Lahore to a great extent, besides providing the facility of quality transport service to the working class.
Apart from the mega projects launched by the Punjab government, the overall environment of Lahore was different. The roads were clean. There was no traffic jams on the road which once used to be a special feature of the city. The green belts on all the sides of the roads were well-maintained. The grass was properly cut and the trees trimmed.
Even the water at the canals passing in the middle of the city was clean. Cleanliness is maintained even in the slums of the city. The countless underpasses and flyovers in the city added to its beauty.