Delhi: Salimgarh Fort’s ‘Khaau Gali’ Set to open soon

A senior MCD official said that the Khaau Gali will feature around 50 vendors daily, selected through a citywide application process conducted earlier this year

New Delhi

The food street has been developed in an unutilised pedestrian stretch near the fort’s wall. (HT File Photo)

In a bid to promote tourism and revive nightlife in the Capital, a “Khaau Gali”, or a night-food street, is likely to open near the historic Salimgarh Fort within the next fortnight, officials from the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) said.

The food street has been developed in an unutilised pedestrian stretch near the fort’s wall. The site has already been beautified with street paintings of popular street foods, along with slots indicating the designated space and the name of the food cart.

A senior MCD official said that the Khaau Gali will feature around 50 vendors daily, selected through a citywide application process conducted earlier this year. “Khaau Gali will be made operational in the next 10 days. These vendors will offer a variety of Delhi’s beloved street foods, including Chandni Chowk’s famous chhole bhature and chaat. Some food vans will also provide temporary air-conditioned seating for diners,” the official said.

Khaau Gali refers to a place where a large number of street food stalls are set up in open areas. Such streets exist in almost all major cities, such as Indore’s Sarafa Bazaar, an area that houses goldsmiths in the morning and transforms into a street food joint at night. Food streets are popular in Mumbai and Hyderabad as well.

The market is expected to operate daily from 5pm to 10pm, exclusively accommodating MCD-approved vendors. “If the number of applicants exceeds 50 on a given day, a rotational system will be implemented to ensure fair participation,” the official said.

MCD will provide basic infrastructure and facilities, such as water supply, mobile toilets, illumination and other services, for a nominal fee. The vendors will be allowed to put up chairs and tables in the allocated space.

Authorities are currently finalising essential infrastructure, including electricity supply and temporary public toilets. The venue will be inaugurated once these arrangements are in place, officials said.

Built in the 16th century on an island of the Yamuna River by Salim Shah Suri, son of Sher Shah Suri, the Salimgarh Fort was converted into a prison by Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. The British took control of the fort in 1857, and continued to use it as a prison. Currently, the Salimgarh Fort is part of the overall Red Fort complex, which was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2007.