Latest news with #ChandniChowkRedevelopmentProject
The Hindu
23-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
After HC rap, Delhi govt to scrap panel for Chandni Chowk maintenance
The Delhi government on Thursday informed the Delhi High Court that it would scrap a committee formed for the redevelopment of Chandni Chowk, admitting that officials had misinterpreted an earlier court order. The court rapped the authorities for unilaterally forming a high-level committee to oversee Chandni Chowk's maintenance, stating that it had only sought their suggestions during earlier hearing. 'We wanted you (Delhi government) to give your suggestions and instead you formed the committee and now you are taking the plea that you misread the order. We only intended to form the committee just to ensure that the work functions under our supervision,' the court said. The government counsel said the panel would be immediately scrapped. The court accepted the counsel's submission on recalling of the March 26 government order. The court then ordered the parties to file their suggestions within four weeks on the setting up of the high-level committee in pursuance to its February order. In its February 18 order, the court proposed a committee comprising officers at the highest level of all the agencies and other experts to ensure the area was maintained appropriately. The court had also proposed the terms of reference to such a committee should be preparing a road map for maintaining and preserving the area and other ancillary issues. The court, however, learnt that on March 26 the Delhi government's Public Works Department had formed a high level committee. Expressing its astonishment, the court's May 21 order noted the respondents were only required to give its suggestions in respect of the formation of the committee and not for forming the committee itself. 'You have created an authority (Shahjanabad Redevelopment Corporation) and you sanction a hefty amount but the court had to intervene time and again because whatever zeal or effort you were making that is not yielding the desired results. Every time the matter comes up before the court, you show your zeal on paper by filing affidavits,' the court said. The government's counsel said the area was beautified as photographs would indicate but pointed out an 'extremely high footfall'. There were miscreants who were destroying public property and authorities were doing the work on a daily basis, the counsel added. The court was dealing with a plea of Chandni Chowk Sarv Vyapar Mandal which claimed a 'highly neglected, disturbing and pathetic state of affairs' in the area under the Chandni Chowk Redevelopment Project from Lal Quila Road up to Fateh Puri Masjid and its surrounding areas including metro stations.
Hindustan Times
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
HC quashes order on Chandni Chowk panel
The Delhi high court on Thursday directed the Delhi government to withdraw its March 26 order constituting a high-level committee for the maintenance of Chandni Chowk, after the Public Works Department (PWD) admitted the move was based on a 'misreading' of the court's earlier direction issued in February. A bench of chief justice DK Upadhyay and justice Tushar Rao Gedela expressed strong displeasure, rebuking the government for forming the committee without court approval. When the matter came up, the bench questioned why the government had not already withdrawn the order despite acknowledging the mistake. 'If this is their attitude... What is all this? It's too much,' the bench remarked. PWD standing counsel Sameer Vashisht told the court that the order was issued with the intent to preserve and restore Chandni Chowk, but that officials had misunderstood the court's February 18 directive, which had only sought suggestions for such a committee. Following submissions, the court directed immediate withdrawal of the March 26 order, stating, 'Accordingly, the order be withdrawn at the earliest.' The matter will be heard next on July 9. The case stems from a petition filed by the Chandni Chowk Sarv Vyapar Mandal, which alleged administrative apathy and sought action against damage, deficiencies, and illegalities within the Chandni Chowk Redevelopment Project — from Subhash Marg to Fatehpuri Masjid, including areas around the metro station. The petitioner claimed the ₹140-crore project was being undermined by poor coordination among government agencies, resulting in public inconvenience. On February 18, the court had indicated its intent to form a committee with officials from the PWD, MCD, and Delhi Police to address these issues. The court had emphasized that Chandni Chowk was not merely a commercial zone but also of 'historical importance,' attracting lakhs of tourists. Despite this, the PWD unilaterally constituted a committee and issued a mandate for it on March 26. On Wednesday, the court had asked the Delhi government to explain how the PWD issued the order without court authorisation, setting the stage for Thursday's directive for immediate withdrawal.
Hindustan Times
22-05-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Need to reimagine Chandni Chowk redevelopment plan
The changes proposed by the Delhi government to the Chandni Chowk Redevelopment Project will result in recasting the earlier Shahjahanabad Redevelopment Project. The proposals include raising the height of structures in Chandni Chowk, Khari Baoli, Naya Bazar, Jama Masjid, Kashmiri Gate, Sadar Bazar, Daryaganj, and Chawri Bazar up to four floors from the current two floors and renaming Shahjahanabad as Indraprastha. The new proposals amount to jettisoning the idea of restoring the facades of the structures, a key element of the original proposal, and erasing the very heritage of Chandni Chowk and seven other markets. The suggestions are touted as Phase II of the redevelopment project; the pedestrianisation of Chandni Chowk, completed in 2021, was the first phase. The new proposal seeks to convert 'existing wholesale markets into four-storey commercial buildings to ease congestion and optimise space usage'. Shahjahanabad was once among the greatest cities in the world and a centre of the anti-colonial struggle. Its preservation has to be at the heart of any scheme of redevelopment. Retrieval of that heritage, increasingly buried under sheets of glass and metal frames, is needed. It has been said that Chandni Chowk served as a model for Louis XIV when he laid out the Champs Elysees in Paris. The new proposal threatens to erase this heritage. Travellers visit Chandni Chowk and the narrow streets of Shahjahanabad to experience the charm of the old world, walk in the narrow streets and see old havelis, taste savouries from small street-food stalls, breathe in the fragrances of perfumes, and smell the spices. They do not come to Shahjahanabad and Chandni Chowk to shop at glitzy malls. And, Shahjahanabad is not just eight markets; it is a living city with kuchas, katras, galis, mohallas, and chowks, where different religious, linguistic, and regional communities, in diverse professions and of varied artistic and literary skills, have lived together for the last 377 years, creating one of the richest cultural vocabularies of co-existence. The proponents of optimal space use forget that, unlike the more recently built, segregated residential and market areas of Rohini, Vasant Kunj, Maharani Bagh and Defence Colony, the 17th-century Shahjahanabad — like all medieval cities in India and elsewhere — was planned as a city where the markets were primarily two-storied structures with shops on the ground floor and residences on the upper level. The markets were placed amidst residential areas, which were mostly single-storey structures, with the occasional haveli consisting of two floors. This layout of markets, surrounded by residential kuchas, katras, and havelis, was continued in Kashmiri Gate (built in the 19th century), Connaught Place (built in the early 20th century), and in modern markets like Khan Market and Pandara Road Market (built in the immediate post-Independence period). This unique design needs to be preserved. The 17th-century design and layout of Shahjahanabad has undergone changes, but we have enough miniatures, East India Company-period paintings, and photographic records of what these markets looked like in the middle- and late-19th century. Any attempt to restore these markets must recover the heritage of Shahjahanabad and remove the glass and metal facades pasted over the galleries, verandas, and trellis-work fences that adorned the terraces. The new proposal talks of relocating existing occupants of one block of buildings to a vacant space nearby, demolishing that block, replacing it with a four-storey structure, and moving the original occupants back before demolishing another set of buildings. This sounds good on paper and may work at the Lajpat Rai Market, which, unlike the rest of Chandni Chowk, is a single-storey construction from the 1950s. But it won't work in the combined residential and market spaces of the other markets. Even if the government successfully convinced, cajoled, or pressured people to move, the spirit of the medieval city would be lost forever. People who understand the city — historians, conservation architects, and people who have roots in Shahjahanabad, traders and others whose livelihoods are integral to the city, functionaries of the utility and other government agencies that serve the area — should be consulted to work out a democratically-agreed plan to preserve its heritage. Shahjahanabad does not need the wholesale markets that cater to the needs of the neighbouring states for grains, cooking oil, soaps, candles, hardware, sanitary fittings, etc. These markets must move out; many were allotted spaces in West Delhi years ago. Once that is done, we will have enough space to do all that is necessary to revitalise and recover the old city and convert it into a space that will be the pride of India and its Capital. We can learn from the Unesco world heritage centres and cities, especially those in South Asia and Central Asia, even as we evolve our own parameters. We need to revamp the drainage, sewer and water-supply systems, take all the wires underground, provide funds to restore and repurpose the grand havelis, create craft centres, libraries, performance areas, chai-khanas, homestays, and quaint hotels, as has been done in hundreds of old cities all over the world. We need to bring in pedal-rickshaws, battery-operated and animal-drawn vehicles to reduce emissions in such areas, and restore the old facades while modernising the structures from the inside. The National Heritage Board of Singapore, the City of Khiva in Uzbekistan, Fez, Rabat and Marrakesh in Morocco, and Kandy in Sri Lanka have successfully demonstrated that this can be done. Shahjahanabad must retain its name because that is integral to the heritage of the place, which, in turn, is what drives tourism, the lifeblood of sustaining heritage. Sohail Hashmi, writer and filmmaker, also conducts Heritage Walks in Delhi. The views expressed are personal
Hindustan Times
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
HC raps Delhi PWD for forming Chandni Chowk panel, cites defiance of directive
The Delhi high court on Wednesday took strong exception to the Delhi government's Public Works Department (PWD) for unilaterally constituting a high-level committee to maintain Chandni Chowk, observing that the move was in contravention of the court's earlier directive which had only sought suggestions for such a panel. A bench of chief justice DK Upadhyay and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela asked the Delhi government's counsel to seek instructions on how the PWD issued the order dated March 26 constituting the committee, even though the court had not authorised it. 'We are astonished to note such an order being passed by the government, that too with the approval of the higher authorities in the government,' the court said in its order. It noted that while the March 26 order acknowledged the court's observations from paragraph 12 of its February 18 directive, it 'completely ignores' paragraph 13, which had made it clear that the respondents were only required to provide suggestions and not constitute the committee themselves. 'We request Mr Sameer Vashisht, learned standing counsel for the government, to seek instructions as to how the order dated 26.03.2025 has been passed, which appears to be in contravention of the order of the Court, dated 18.02.2025,' the bench added. The issue arose from a petition filed by the Chandni Chowk Sarv Vyapar Mandal, which sought immediate steps by city authorities to remove damage, deficiencies, and illegal activities in and around the Chandni Chowk Redevelopment Project — from Subhash Marg (Lal Quila Road) up to Fatehpuri Masjid, including areas near the Chandni Chowk Metro station. The petitioner argued that there was a complete lack of coordination among the authorities, leading to mismanagement and undermining the over ₹140 crore already spent on the project. The plea also highlighted the inconvenience being caused to the public due to the alleged neglect. On February 18, the high court had indicated its intent to constitute a committee comprising senior officials from various agencies, including the PWD, MCD, and Delhi Police. The court had remarked that Chandni Chowk was not just a commercial hub but also of 'historical importance', attracting lakhs of tourists from around the world. The matter is scheduled to be heard next on Thursday.
