LAHORE: The Walled City of Lahore Authority (WCLA) on Friday decided to declare 16 buildings/premises heritage properties.

The building control and conservation teams of the WCLA through a survey had identified 247 high architectural merit properties inside the walled city, recommending to the authorities to declare these heritage properties. However, according to officials, initially 16 of the 247 buildings would be declared heritage properties under section 23 of the WCLA Act 2012.

The premises to be declared heritage sites are: Haveli Kabli Mal, Dina Nath Haveli, Bej Nath Haveli, Mian Sultan Haveli, Laal Haveli, D-747, D-748, D-838,D-750, House of Allama Iqbal (B-597), A-12, Neevin Masjid, Victoria High School, Haveli Dhyan Singh, Wazir Khan Mosque and Mariam Zamani Mosque.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the WCLA Heritage Conservation Board.

Yousaf Salahuddin (HCB chairman), Kamran Lashari (WCLA director general), Nayyer Ali Dada (architect), Faqir Syed Saifuddin (owner of Faqirkhana Museum), representatives of Archaeology Department and the Lahore High Court, Kamil Khan Mumtaz (architect), Aijaz Anwar (painter) and Advocate Anas Ghazi attended the meeting.

`Since it`s important to share the list of properties to be declared heritage with the Heritage Conservation Board of the WCLA, we have been given a go-ahead to declare these premises as heritage proper-ties. And after fulfilling other legal formalities, the WCLA would formally declare these heritage properties, WCLA`s Deputy Director (Building Control) Mubashir Hassan said.

He said the board would be meeting fortnightly to review the list of other properties to be declared heritage properties. `Once the properties are declared heritage, the owner would not be able to add or change anything in the building without approval and consent of the WCLA,` he said.

Kamran Lashari said in order to save the heritage fabric of the city and restore the heritage buildings it was important to declare the high architecture merit buildings in the city heritage properties. `Our heritage is our identity and we would take all steps to save and conserve it,` he added.

VISIT: A three-member delegation of anAustrian company on Friday visited the LWMC head of fice and held a meeting with the senior officials.

Austrian firm Meteka is known for having expertise in safe management of infectious waste at all tiers starting from collection, transportation, treatment and disposal of infectious and hazardous waste in clinics, hospitals and other health care outdoors.

`The objective of the visit is to understand LWMC`s ongoing hospital waste management project and safe management of infectious waste in Lahore. The LWMC MD and other of ficials briefed the delegation on its working and ongoing projects,` said a spokesman for the LWMC in a press release.

In addition to the presentation and orientation, the delegation members were told about the LWMC`s hospital waste software and mobile application.