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Emergency vehicles to be allowed in revamped Chandni Chowk stretch: Jain
New Delhi Vehicles pressed into emergency and those under essential services will be allowed into the revamped areas of Chandni Chowk where entry of motorised vehicles is to be barred from 9am to 9pm on April 17, public works department (PWD) minister Satyendar Jain said on Tuesday
New Delhi
Vehicles pressed into emergency and those under essential services will be allowed into the revamped areas of Chandni Chowk where entry of motorised vehicles is to be barred from 9am to 9pm on April 17, public works department (PWD) minister Satyendar Jain said on Tuesday.
As part of the much-delayed Chandni Chowk redevelopment project, a 1.3km stretch of the main road between Red Fort and Fatehpuri mosque has been completely pedestrianised. The stretch is likely to be inaugurated on slated for inauguration on April 17, after which entry of all motorised vehicles will be banned on it between 9am and 9pm.
While reviewing the ongoing work on Tuesday, Jain said that vehicles such as ambulances, fogging vehicles, police vans, bank cash and security vans, and those providing essential services will be allowed on to the revamped area. He also directed officials to create standard operating procedures (SOPs) for essential and emergency services in the area.
“Chandni Chowk is a historical site. It has been made beautiful to promote tourism and it is the responsibility of all of us to maintain its beauty. It is the responsibility of Delhi Police to ensure that rules are followed. It will be the responsibility of the local police to ban the entry of motor vehicles in the restricted area,” said Jain in a statement, shared by the government on Tuesday. He added that only authorised manual rickshaws, color-coded in a particular style, will be allowed to enter the revamped stretch. Shopkeepers in the area too will be allowed to move their wares only on these rickshaws.
While the redevelopment project was proposed in 2006, work on the project finally started in December 2018 following the directions and under monitoring of the Delhi high court. In December 2018, Delhi’s deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia laid the foundation stone for the project. During the first phase of the project, utilities such as electric cables have been shifted underground, with facilities such as toilets and benches for sitting being provided. CCTV and streetlights in the area are yet to be completely installed. On Tuesday, Jain also instructed officials to install powerful LEDs in the area since the current lights on the stretch were feeble in terms of security considerations.
Nitin Panigrahi, deputy general manager, Shahjahanabad Redevelopment Corporation (SRDC), which is the nodal agency for the redevelopment project, said that finishing touches were being given ahead of the inauguration of the 1.3-km stretch on April 17. “The inauguration is scheduled for April 17 and whatever work remains will be completed by then,” said Panigrahi.
