New Chandni Chowk road to be opened on December 31: Delhi government tells HC

NEW DELHI: The stretch of road between the Red Fort intersection and the Fatehpuri Masjid in Chandni Chowk will be inaugurated on December 31 following its pedestrianisation, AAP government informed the Delhi High Court on Thursday. 

The Delhi government and various local bodies told a bench of justices Hima Kohli and Subramonium Prasad that most of the work related to the pedestrianisation of the stretch has been completed. 

The road will be opened after completion of the remaining work including the joining of some intersections with the main road, installation of CCTVs and street lights on certain stretches and development of pavements. 

The court was hearing a PIL initiated by it on the basis of news reports that the project has been derailed. Taking note of the status reports submitted by various local authorities, the bench listed the matter for January 18, 2021.

The bench had on October 8 taken suo motu notice of the “pathetic condition of the area” based on photographs in news reports, and directed the high court registry to register a petition in public interest. 

The high court had decided to initiate a PIL for remedying at the earliest the “complete apathy and mismanagement on the part of the authorities and the stakeholders”.

The news reports had claimed that the project of pedestrianisation of the stretch of road between the Red Fort intersection and Fatehpuri Masjid at Chandni Chowk has been derailed. 

The court had noted that the photographs accompanying the news articles indicated that stones and garbage were strewn all over the pathway, bollards were broken and the footpath dug up. 

​It had noted that the pedestrianisation of the stretch was a part of the prestigious project of redevelopment of the entire Chandni Chowk area.  

(With PTI inputs)