2016 proved to be a mixed bag for the people of Lahore. This year, our city made headlines innumerable times, mostly for the wrong reasons: a tough pall of smog that hung over the city and wouldn’t go away, crazy traffic pileups on every major road and street despite those oh-so-beautiful-to-view-from-drone-camera freeways, flyovers  and underpasses; the grieving people whose homes had been forcibly bought out by the government because these fell in the way of the Orange Line Metro Train mega project; a spike in street crime, and the horrific resurfacing of dengue and congo viruses… The list, or shall we say, listicle, goes on.

We also saw Dolphin Force -- our own version of the glamorous American cops-on-bikes CHips from the popular TV series of the 1970s, except that their purpose remains unknown to this day. The remaking of Minto Park also made news, and so did the renovation of the many historical buildings in and around the Walled City.

Largely, it was a year of contradictions. On the one hand, scores of trees were felled in the name of "road widening," and on the other hand, we saw palm trees being planted along a part of Main Boulevard, Gulberg, and lots of green spaces created at all the places you wouldn’t expect them to -- under the bridges, round the bend of a road etc. Of course, who can forget those tacky metal planters nailed on the outer walls of many a ‘sarkari’ building! Lahore also imported a transplanter, a first for Pakistan, they said. But all this seemed to carry just an ornamental value, with no deep thinking gone into it. The urban planners, environmentalists, and civil society groups repeatedly cried foul at the project managers for ruining the landscape of the city. To little or no avail.

All wasn’t black for the city, however. There were a few laudable public initiatives we saw this year, such as ‘Women On Wheels,’ aptly acronym-ed WOW. There was word doing the media rounds about the CM Punjab mulling the idea of holding a ‘Safe Basant,’ in order to give back to Lahore one of its best popular festivals. That it never materialised is another story.

Speaking of festivals, the private sector came out with plenty -- from the now internationally recognised Lahore Literary Festival, which entered its third installment this year, to the three-day Lahore Eat 2016, Lahore Music Meet ’16, Faiz Int’l Festival, and the myriad drama fests hosted by Alhamra Arts Council and Ali Auditorium.

We also had a mini cab revolution this year, as Uber and Careem exploded on the city roads, joined by A-Taxi, a commercial venture of Albayrak, the Turkish company that has previously had a role in the Lahore Solid Waste Management Project.

The year ended on a cold, ‘foggy’ note that spelt horror for those travelling by air or road. It left us questioning the utility of the much-trumpeted Instrument Landing System CAT III-B that had been installed at the airport earlier on in 2015.

For the uninitiated, and for those who might want a final look back at the year gone by, here’s a recap of the top 16 stories of the year; in no particular order…

1. Orange Line is the new ‘black’

Like it or not, the year 2016 belonged to the Orange Line Metro Train project. This mega-budgeted government project whose estimated cost is USD1.65 billion, had its haters and detractors galore, especially among the common Lahoris and also those who hadn’t doffed their thinking caps to leave everything on the policy makers. There were demonstrations happening every other day in the city, protesting the numerous issues with the project, chiefly land acquisition, whereby the poor people whose houses and land fell in the way of the 27-km long OLMT track were being evicted for petty compensations. What’s more, the premises of many heritage sites -- from GPO to Chauburji, Kapurthala House, Jain Mandir and so on -- were earmarked for encroachment, much against the law. There was furore among organisations such as the Judicial Activism Panel, Institute of Architects Pakistan, Pakistan Environmental Lawyers Association, Pakistan Medical Association, Lok Sujag, Subh-e-Nau, Pakistan Urban Resource Center, Chitrkar, and Simorgh, all raising objections to the design of the project and regarding its tendering process. They also blamed the government for not taking the people into confidence. Eventually, a Lahore High Court stay verdict in August halted the construction work within 200-metre radius of 11 heritage sites. This was some consolation, but a lot of damage had been done already. The houses of Mira Sen and Baba-e-Jamhooriat Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan, for instance, had been razed to the ground by LDA, and hundreds of people had been displaced.

2. For fog’s sake

Fog is not known to be friendly to travels, especially those by air. This time around, things were expected to be different, as the internationally recognised Instrument Landing System (ILS) CAT III-B had been installed at the Allama Iqbal International Airport, that was to help" an aircraft to land safely even if the pilot cannot establish visual contact with the runway." Only, it failed to deliver. The CAA blamed it on a multitude of factors, chiefly the lack of training of pilots. Whatever the fact may be, flight cancellations and delays were the order of the day. Besides, a number of flights were reportedly diverted mid-air because of poor visibility conditions in Lahore.

3. A road shock

As if remodelling of roads or the encroachments weren’t enough, protest demonstrations and sit-ins routinely disrupted the traffic flow, especially on the Mall. At long last, the government butted in and announced that Nasir Bagh would be the only venue for such demos in the city. Let’s see if the demonstrators follow the directive in 2017.

4. Cab report

In a city where the supremacy of rickshaw as the common Lahori’s all-time favourite ride cannot be questioned, the likes of Careem, Albayrak and Uber threatened to change the status quo, the last one even going to the extent of starting its own three-wheeler service.

5. The dandy Dolphins

Launched with great fanfare in April, almost two years behind schedule, by the government of Punjab, the Dolphin Force received a mixed response, especially from the public who still can’t seem to decide the purpose of the boys riding the highly expensive, 500 CC heavy bikes, up and down the streets, in pairs, decked out in a costly police gear.

6. A smog world

All told, it was the result of a mix of pollutants caused by industrial emissions, burning of vehicular fuels, and dust particles suspended in the air due to the various development projects going on in the city. Although Lahore has known smog from Adam, so to say, ‘16 saw an unprecedented spell that put the health of the citizens in jeopardy. At medicine stores, the face/dust masks were a sell-out.

7. Greater expectations

Iqbal Park, formerly Minto Park, had a facelift, with the addition of dancing fountains, among other things, and was rechristened Greater Iqbal Park. The locals kept begrudging the fact that the historical place had been deprived of its core cultural status, its old-world charm and that it had left them without any alternative sports and recreational facility. The akhara (desi gym), Attiq Stadium, and the playground where the visitors would also fly kites and enjoy a game of cards, are all gone.

8. Botanical glory

Out went the trees, and in came the Botanical Garden Jallo and Butterfly House, both being the projects of Parks and Horticulture Authority (PHA). Located at a sprawl of over 80 acres, the former was a ‘hit’ from the word go. The visitors especially loved the Rose, Bonsai and Cactus Gardens, "the tunnel covered entirely by creepers and climbers imported from Indo-Pak," and a treetop walkway.

9. Viral signs

Congo, a deadly virus said to be contracted from infected animals, reared its head in Lahore, much to the horror of those celebrating the Eidul Azha. The sacrificial animals suddenly became untouchables. Meanwhile, dengue continued to wreak havoc, as the city weather remained moderately warm up till November. Swine flu cases were also reported.

10. Safe-City first

One mega headline-grabber last year was indeed the Punjab government’s Safe City Project. Supposed to "curb crime and detect any incidences of terrorism," the project involves installation of 8,000 Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras on the city streets and roads. The cameras are outfitted with the Global Positioning System (GPS) and can "navigate an individual’s public movements by producing a precise, comprehensive record of it that covers a wealth of detail about their familial, political, professional, religious, and various associations." The cameras also have the capacity to read the number plates of cars and identify the violators, eventually issuing them e-challans. Consequently, the government made it mandatory for Punjab vehicles to get approved number plates which the security cameras can read. Besides, 600 camera-fitted vehicles are expected to ply on the roads, the cops sporting digital handsets that shall work under an Integrated Command and Control Centre (IC3). The project shall be completed by June 2017.

11. The Fest part

In 2016, Lahore reclaimed its status as the hub of cultural activities, by playing host to a number of theatre, arts and literary festivals. Amateurs also had a field day when the professionals weren’t producing a lot of theatre. We saw Pakistan Tehreek-i-Comedy’s Comic Con festival, KopyKats coming up with two vibrant productions, and Olomopolo Media holding one interesting event after another. The other busy venues were The Last Word, The Page Turners and Books ‘n’ Beans whose Open Mic nights proved to be a riot. London’s Globe Theatre famously brought their masterful rendition of Shakespeare’s Hamlet at Kinnaird.

12. Unique art

A rare exhibition, titled ‘Gumnam Shehri,’ organised by Nigraan-e-Lahore, gave platform for creative expression to the marginalised, the disadvantaged, and the disabled. Perhaps, the most touching was a poster which read, "Khamoshi Khuda ki zaban hai" (silence is the language of God). Yet another said, "Everybody has claims on Lahore." The exhibit deserved more publicity than it got.

13. WOW-ing us

An all-women bike rally, which was preceded by months of free training lessons, was a promising initiative taken by the Chief Minister’s Special Monitoring Unit (SMU) on Law and Order, in collaboration with the City Traffic Police and UN Women ‘HeForShe.’ It sought to empower women and bring them out in a space generally dominated by males.

14. Ward perfect

The busiest public sector facility, Mayo Hospital, revamped its Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Department, in order to help patients that are often put endlessly on the waiting list. On the other hand, Pakistan Institute of Cardiology (PIC) raised a new, state-of-the-art trauma centre in its premises, with assistance from the "Friends of PIC".

15. Mall of fame

If there was one shopping mall that claimed spotlight this year, it had to be Emporium Mall. A project of Nishat Group, the mall is said to be the largest in the city. Its food court is also the biggest you can find any place else. Besides, of course, Mahira Khan becoming its brand ambassador added to the glory of the place.

16. Library tales

The reopening of British Council Library, after a gap of 13 long years, was a new high for the book lovers among the Lahorites, especially those who had fond memories of the place’s earlier days of glory. The new library came redone, with racks on wheels, and books available in physical format as well as online, for members.