The pedestrian infrastructure project at Karol Bagh has brought in a sense of discipline and safety to the area as well as provided shoppers a relaxed and enjoyable experience, said Varsha Joshi, commissioner of the North Delhi Municipal Corporation.
She added that the project was made possible due to the cooperation of several stakeholders. The initiative was initially proposed in 2010 by the United Traffic and Transportation Infrastructure (Planning and Engineering) during the Commonwealth Games. The project was, however, put on hold as traders in the area had demanded alternative parking space for vehicles but nothing was made available, said Murli Mani, the president of the Karol Bagh Market Association.
Repurposing municipal properties in the area for use as parking lots was critical in helping the project go through, Ms. Joshi said.
While parking has been disallowed on a 800-metre stretch of Ajmal Khan Road, parking rates have been hiked on connecting lanes such as Padma Singh Road and Arya Samaj Road to discourage parking there, said Mr. Mani.
Areas for vendors have also been clearly demarcated and the parking has been converted to parallel parking as compared to the earlier set-up which was chaotic, said Ms. Joshi
The market association has also hired valet parking services for shoppers and will soon employ e-rickshaw services for senior citizens. The civic body’s intervention has been helpful in coordinating with the traffic police, who make sure that vehicles do not enter the no-vehicle zone, said Mr. Mani.
Cooperation wins the day
Highlighting another example of mutual cooperation, Ms. Joshi said that the shoe market traders’ association has agreed to maintain public urinals in the area — a problem the civic body was finding tough to solve given its limited resources.
The commissioner said that a similar project is being started in Kamla Nagar. “The Sadar Bazar Market Association has also written to us asking for a similar project,” she added.