Commercial hubs near Old Delhi to be revamped soon

The officials said that LG VK Saxena visited the areas on Thursday and instructed the officials of the agencies concerned to take up the res

Three prominent historical commercial hubs surrounding Old Delhi — Kashmere Gate-St James Church, Kamla Market-Clock Tower and Shradhanand Marg (previously known as GB Road) — are set to undergo redevelopment, according to officials from the office of the lieutenant governor aware of the matter said on Friday.

LG VK Saxena (ANI)

The officials said that LG VK Saxena visited the areas on Thursday and instructed the officials of the agencies concerned to take up the restoration, beautification and refurbishment of these sites at the earliest in consultation with the local market trader associations. The civic agencies maintaining the area include the Municipal Corporation of Delhi and the Public Works Department. HT reached out to both but neither responded to queries seeking comments.

The market around St James Church at Kashmere Gate, designed originally as a semi-circle with a uniform facade of wrought iron grille work, a common covered passage and segregated shops of uniform dimensions, has been crumbling due to disrepair, encroachments and mindless construction.

LG noted that the historical complex lost its original design and developed into a hazardous bunch of shops due to neglect on the part of civic agencies, the officials added. Encroachment on the common passage of shops and parking was another issue that he flagged. The LG asked officials to ensure immediate repair of the crumbling structures, restoration of the original facade and find solutions to the parking problem in consultation with the shopkeepers and market trader associations.

The officials added that the LG came across squalor, hanging wires, crumbling walls, unauthorised storage over rooftops, and open urination at Kamla Market, designed on lines of Gole Market and Connaught Place. The market was inaugurated by the country’s first President, Dr Rajendra Prasad. “This iconic market which should have been a delight for any passenger entering the city after de-boarding at New Delhi railway station, has turned into an eyesore, obstructed by encroachments,” the LG said.

The Clock Tower atop the market has become non-functional and is laden with dust and grime, while the marble plaque commemorating its inauguration is broken

LG office officials said that Shraddhanand Marg — which goes from the New Delhi railway station to the Old Delhi railway station and further towards Tis Hazari and houses commercial hubs like Khari Baoli, Sadar Bazar and Naya Bazar, etc., — lacked sanitation, while the roads were in need of urgent repair.

“This broad street that could serve as an alternate boulevard between Old and New Delhi, and reduce time as well as distance substantially, needed a comprehensive redevelopment plan,” Saxena stressed.