It won’t be wrong to say that Lahore has always been a favourite with the authorities. It is also no secret that the city has the best bridges, infrastructure and accessible markets there are in the entire country. It is home to some of the most beautiful roads such as The Mall and Canal Road. It is, therefore, all the more important that the upkeep of the city is well taken care of. Incidentally, not much that is happening on this front is agreeable.

The Sohna Lahore Project, for instance, which involves the renovation of certain roads, flyovers and underpasses of the city, recently carried out an activity which is far from aesthetically appealing. It involved the painting of the Liberty Chowk in rainbow colours.

As a result, the chowk is definitely attracting attention, but it also leaves some passersby wondering if the colour palette was a demonstration of support to the LGBTQ+ community (the rainbow flag is the most basic and known symbol of the LGBTQ+ community around the world). Not to forget, the aesthetics of the drive have always been in question — remember the painting of katchi abadi houses close to the Lahore airport?

No wonder when Deputy Commissioner Mudassar Riaz Malik proposed renaming Liberty Chowk as Rainbow Square, the news didn’t sit well with Lahoris, especially those with a critical eye on the architectural and monumental value of the design of landmark buildings. Many claimed that it’s pointless to change the names of places as it would not contribute to anything. It’s merely superficial, they argued. For them, the name Liberty Chowk represents the struggles of the shopkeepers and those who came out as successful people despite the losses they might have suffered along the journey.

Being a Lahori, I would much rather appreciate not having to survive with gas shortages this winter than having a roundabout called something fancy. It is high time we got our priorities straight.

Besides, people tend to stick to old names and the new names hardly ever catch on. Just like the case of Davis Road which was renamed Sir Agha Khan Road. And, of course, a proportion of the twitterverse took to the social media to complain about how this was all a yahoodi sazish (Jewish controversy) which is also somehow being funded by the RAW.

It is impossible to understand the obsession with superficial changes in the city. As much as a clean and a beautiful city is appreciated, why not invest time and energy in improving the standard of living of the citizens. What could changing the name of a roundabout be expected to achieve, unless it was for a solid reason?

There are so many tourist spots that need to be worked on and renovated. This would not only preserve our historical sites but also generate large sums of revenue that the country is in such desperate need of. Moreover, being a Lahori, I would much rather appreciate not having to survive with gas shortages this winter than having a roundabout called something fancy. It is high time we got our priorities straight.

The author is a communications manager at a private company.

She can be reached at saniyanasir3@gmail.com