Public Works Department (PWD) Minister Satyendar Jain on Tuesday reviewed the redevelopment of Chandni Chowk here on the heels of its inauguration.
Mr. Jain directed senior officials from the department to make a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for essential and emergency services allowed at the revamped area where electric vehicles will be operated for the convenience of senior citizens.
Inauguration on April 17
The redevelopment of the historical Chandni Chowk area has been completed with Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal scheduled to inaugurate it on April 17, the government said. A sum of ₹99 crore has been spent on the entire project on which work began on December 1, 2018, and was targeted to be completed by November 2020, but it got delayed by a year allegedly due to the pandemic, the PWD said.
Tourism factor
“Chandni Chowk is a historical site. It has been made beautiful to promote tourism and it is the responsibility of all of us to maintain its beauty. We have to ensure that the situation in Chandni Chowk does not become as it was before,” Mr. Jain said.
While reviewing the project, the PWD Minister discussed the facilities being offered to tourists on the redesigned stretch from Red Fort to Fatehpuri Mosque.
He suggested installing more LED lights and planting high-rise saplings on the street so that shopkeepers do not face any problems.
The Minister was told that Chandni Chowk had been developed in four phases.
The width of the road carriageway on the stretch is 5.5 meters; for non-motorised vehicles, a 5- to 10-meter-wide pavement has been built on either side of the road. There is also a 2.5-meter footpath on either side of the road.
Only manual rickshaws will be allowed on the redeveloped stretch and these will be marked.
At the review meeting, the Delhi Police demanded 166 civil defence volunteers from the PWD Minister for action against motor vehicles entering the restricted area, citing manpower constraints till CCTVs became operational. Mr. Jain directed the PWD to provide 75 volunteers for two months.
Vehicles providing essential and emergency services will be allowed in the area from Red Fort to the Fatehpuri Mosque. The roads will be cleaned before 9 a.m.
