Process underway to dismantle the Hawa Mahal-like structure in Delhi

Planning to open a garment shop in future, Keyal also told the reporters that he had invested all his savings in the project and once dismantled it will break and won't be of any use (Photo: IE)

Jaipur’s iconic Hawa Mahal look alike in Chandni Chowk delhi is getting dismantled by a trader who made it. The process to dismantle the structure has started. The trader got orders from North Delhi Municipal Corporation to take the building down. Renovated by Ankit Keyal, a Rajasthan-based trader and architect, the structure is built on the 1.3-km pedestrian stretch between Red Fort and Fatehpuri Masjid.

The architect Keyal told IE that the process of dismantling has started in the building with one floor removed already. He had made the building with a lot of effort and to maintain the heritage look of Delhi. “I am helpless now as the authorities have asked me to take it down”, added Keyal. At first I thought that it would be appreciated but now the whole issue is getting stressful for me, he concluded.

Planning to open a garment shop in future, Keyal also told the reporters that he had invested all his savings in the project and once dismantled it will break and won’t be of any use. The trader was last week asked to tear the building down by North MCD. It was on grounds that the new construction was beyond the permissible limit of six inches, hence it can’t happen.

Jogi Ram Jain, Leader of the standing committee of North MCD, said that people were divided into two groups with some believing that the building adds to the beauty of the place while others believed that if the building is coming in a way of rules and violating it, it should be taken down. We have to abide by law, he said. While the process of dismantling has started already, Jain has also ensured that if as per rules, some beautification could be allowed, then they would allow it to that extent only. “I have asked my engineers to check it and see if that’s possible”,Jain added.

Hawa Mahal

Hawa Mahal is a famous palace in Jaipur at an approximate distance of 300 kilometers from Delhi. The palace is built from red and pink sandstone and it sits on the edge of the City Palace, Jaipur.

Built in 1799 by Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh, the grandson of Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh (who was the founder of Jaipur), the building was designed with the help of Lal Chand Ustad. The five floor exterior that we see from outside alongwith 953 small windows (known as Jharokhas) were decorated with intricate latticework. Latticework was done originally for royal ladies to observe everyday life outside in the street without being seen.