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April 17 inauguration of revamped Chandni Chowk stretch cancelled
New Delhi: The scheduled inauguration of the first phase of the Chandni Chowk redevelopment project by chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on April 17 has been cancelled, an order issued by the PWD minister’s office to the engineer-in-chief on Friday stated
New Delhi:
The scheduled inauguration of the first phase of the Chandni Chowk redevelopment project by chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on April 17 has been cancelled, an order issued by the PWD minister’s office to the engineer-in-chief on Friday stated. While the government is yet to officially share the reason behind the cancellation, officials familiar with the matter said the decision was taken in view of the surge in Covid-19 cases that the state has been witnessing in the past few days.
A senior official in the chief minister’s office confirmed that the inauguration was cancelled owing to the raging pandemic . “Yes, the programme has been cancelled because of the rising Covid-19 cases in the city. The chief minister’s focus is on the Covid-19 management now and also it is not appropriate to organise events when the positivity rate is on a rise. It will also give a message that people should not organise events or gatherings ,” said the official on condition of anonymity.
Nitin Panigrahi, deputy general manager, Shahjahanabad Redevelopment Corporation (SRDC), which is the nodal agency for the redevelopment project, said that work on the site will continue as before. “Work on the site is continuing, but there has been an impact due to the night curfew. We are no longer able to carry out work at night due to the restrictions,” said Panigrahi.
As part of the much-delayed Chandni Chowk redevelopment project, a 1.3-km stretch of the main road between Red Fort and Fatehpuri mosque has been completely pedestrianised. While the redevelopment project was proposed in 2006, work on the project finally started in December 2018, following the directions and monitoring of the Delhi high court.
The project envisages complete makeover of Chandni Chowk and aims at reviving the lost glory of Shahjahanabad, which was built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. Chandni Chowk is one of the most congested parts of the Capital and the redevelopment plan also aims at streamlining the movement of pedestrians, non-motorised vehicles and automobiles.
The initial deadline for the project was fixed for March 2020, but it was revised to March 2021 due to several delaying factors, including majorly the Covid pandemic and the legal issues in removing encroachments, including some religious structures. Around ₹99 crore has been spent on the project till now. In the first phase of the project, utilities such as electric cables and other networks were taken underground, and dedicated lanes for non-motorised transport and walkways were constructed. Facilities such as toilets, ATMs, and benches for visitors have been provided in the redeveloped space. SRDC will work towards improving the façade of the heritage market in the second phase.
Sanjay Bhargava, president Chandni Chowk Sarv Vyapar Mandal, said that the project had faced delays in the past as well and while there was no clarity on the reason behinds the cancellation, a significant amount work of was yet to be completed.
