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Lahore has begun transforming one of its historic public parks, Nasser Bagh, as the Lahore Development Authority (LDA) starts building an underground parking plaza aimed at reducing traffic congestion and improving air quality in the surrounding area.
The project, inspired by the Neela Gumbad underground plaza model, covers 11 kanals and includes two basement levels with space for 256 cars and 510 motorcycles. TEPA, the agency executing the project, says the new plaza will offer safer off street parking while easing pressure on nearby crowded roads.
Background details show that LDA began clearing the site weeks earlier and relocated 123 trees under horticulture supervision. However, conservation groups argue the development risks damaging the park’s heritage value and green landscape.
A spokesperson for the Lahore Conservation Society said,
“Nasser Bagh is an irreplaceable heritage green space. Authorities must reconsider the location and shift the plaza to a less sensitive site.”
Civil society organisations, college students, and art institutions are planning a protest on December 2, demanding the government protect heritage and avoid shrinking Lahore’s already limited green areas.
