Delhi government keeps October target for beautification project at Chandni Chowk

NEW DELHI: The Delhi government’s ambitious Chandni Chowk beautification and pedestrianisation project will be completed by October end and may open in the first week of November, announced CM Arvind Kejriwal after reviewing the ongoing work at the heritage market on Thursday.  

He reiterated that after reopening of the 1.3 kilometre-long stretch from Red Fort crossing to Fatehpuri Masjid, no motorised vehicle will be allowed on the road from 9.00 am to 9.00 pm.  

​“Chandni Chowk is a historical place and it has been there for ages. The historical glory of the area will be brought back through the beautification of the area. This will be a non-motorized vehicle area from 9 AM to 9 PM. We hope that the area will be a popular tourist attraction... We are hoping that the place will be opened by the first week of November, it was supposed to start in May but the process was delayed due to corona,” he said.

He was accompanied by  PWD Minister Satyendar Jain, Garima Gupta, managing director of Shahjahanabad Redevelopment Corporation (SRDC), Nitin Panigrahi, deputy general manager (project and administration) of the corporation.

The SRDC is the nodal agency executing the project. On June 29, The Morning Standard reported that with the underground electricity cabling work and construction of stormwater drain nearing completion, the SRDC was expecting to finish the project by October end. The budget for the whole project is around Rs 90 crore.

“All underground work such as stormwater drain and power cabling has been finished. The surfacing of portions of the carriageways with stone and installation of bollards are to be done. Soon, we will complete toilets blocks... Despite heavy rains during the last couple of days, no waterlogging was reported from Chandni Chowk. It was a kind of trial for the drains developed along the stretch, which is successful,” said an official.  Construction work had come to a complete halt in the last week of March after the corona 
induced nationwide lockdown was imposed.

Repeated interruptions led to  project delay 

The project was moving at a snail’s pace since October when the SC banned construction activities in Delhi NCR due to rise in air pollution levels. The work had come to a complete halt in the last week of March after the corona induced nationwide lockdown was imposed. However, the contractors resumed activities in May but have been struggling to get sufficient workforce to fast track the project since then. March 31 was original the deadline of the project.