BJP demands detailed probe in Chandni Chowk irregularities case

BJP demands a probe into Chandni Chowk redevelopment irregularities, calling for SRDC dissolution and audit, citing cost overruns and lack of local input.

Published on: Aug 11, 2025, 05:00:07 IST

By Paras Singh

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A day after the Public Works Department (PWD) flagged irregularities in the Chandni Chowk redevelopment project, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday demanded that a larger probe be carried out in the case, also including the Shahjahanabad Redevelopment Corporation (SRDC).

The 1.3-kilometre redeveloped stretch was inaugurated in 2021. (HT Archive)

The party demanded the dissolution of the SRDC and a full audit of its 10 years of operations. “The officers have always viewed Chandni Chowk only as a Mughal-era city, never understanding or appreciating its commercial identity. Ignoring reality, these officers have repeatedly proposed plans to develop Chandni Chowk as merely a tourist centre, often persuading chief ministers to approve impractical schemes,” Delhi BJP spokesperson and general secretary of Chandni Chowk Nagrik ManchPraveen Shankar Kapoor said.

After coming to power in 2015, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government began formulating development and beautification projects for Chandni Chowk without understanding or consulting its residents and traders, Kapoor claimed. “In 2018-19, despite opposition from local trade bodies and the Chandni Chowk Nagrik Manch, the then MLA Alka Lamba pushed the redevelopment project prepared by bureaucrats and had it implemented by the SRDC,” Kapoor added.

The 1.3-kilometre redeveloped stretch, inaugurated in 2021 by the then CM Arvind Kejriwal, saw its project cost swell from an initial estimate of ₹65.6 crore to ₹145 crore. The PWD report claimed that the initial cost for civil and electrical works — estimated at ₹27.79 crore — escalated to ₹105.93 crore.

Officials from the SRDC did not respond to HT’s requests for a comment on the allegations.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Paras Singh
Paras Singh is a New Delhi-based journalist with Hindustan Times, where he serves as Deputy Metro Editor. He reports on urban governance, the Delhi government, the Delhi BJP, water management, the environment, communities and city life. He joined Hindustan Times in 2021 after beginning his journalism career at The Times of India in 2016, where he covered civic bodies, the water and power sectors, and urban infrastructure. Over the last decade, some of his reporting has led to significant public impact, with investigations into environmental violations, corruption and illegal industrial activity contributing to multiple judicial interventions by the National Green Tribunal and the Delhi High Court. A graduate of St. Stephen's College, University of Delhi, Paras studied journalism from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), New Delhi. Having extensively covered the capital's evolving civic and governance landscape, his recent work increasingly explores Delhi's history, built heritage, urban evolution and the relationship between people and place, alongside continuing to report on governance and public policy.Read More

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