Sadar Bazar in Gurugram to be turned a no-vehicle zone

According to MCG officials, the project will be funded by the civic body, while the two private players will provide the designs and oversee its implementation.

Taking inspiration from Delhi’s Karol Bagh market, the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) is working on a plan to make Sadar Bazar a vehicle-free zone for the benefit of pedestrians, said deputy commissioner Amit Khatri on Thursday.

The Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) is working on a plan to make Sadar Bazar a vehicle-free zone. (HT Photo/Representational Image)

“The modification of Karol Bagh is a fine example of how spaces can be converted, keeping pedestrians in mind. Sadar Bazar is, perhaps, the most congested area in the city. Allowing vehicular movement in the narrow lanes of the market does not make sense. Pedestrians virtually have no space to walk and have to continuously change paths to avoid getting hit by a vehicle. We are soon going to make the area a no-vehicle zone,” Khatri said.

Khatri said that a non-profit organisation and a software development company, World Resources Institute and Nagarro, respectively, came up with a proposal in July for revamping the market and making it pedestrian friendly, following which an agreement was signed in principle.

Khatri said that the designs for the project, identifying designated parking places for vehicles, are being worked upon. He added said that since the project is not “capital intensive”, it can be initiated within a short period of time.

According to MCG officials, the project will be funded by the civic body, while the two private players will provide the designs and oversee its implementation.

“The revamp will only require a few lakh rupees. We will have an exact estimate after the designs are completed. Basic details, such as the location of parking spaces, barricades for entry/exit and upgrade of infrastructure for pedestrians, need to be chalked out. We are targeting to complete this within 2019,” said Khatri.

Officials of Nagarro and WRI confirmed that they have submitted a proposal to the MCG for making Sadar Bazar pedestrian friendly.

“Sadar Bazaar is a fully commercial street, accessed by 95% of road users on foot, demanding for equitable approach. Its complete pedestrianisation would provide safer spaces for shopping along with opportunities for other diverse activities as sitting, eating out and community engagement. The project holds potential to make this street a city destination, leading to economic, social and environmental benefits,” said Priyanka Sulkhlan, manager, Sustainable - Cities and Transport, World Resources Institute India.

Manas Fuloria, CEO of Nagarro, said, “We are trying to promote pedestrianisation in the city and Sadar Bazar is one of the first examples. Hence, we are coordinating with MCG for this purpose and along with WRI submitted a proposal for redeveloping the market along the lines of the recent modification in Karol Bagh. Our experts, along with WRI, are working on the design aspects of this proposal currently.”

Khatri said that the MCG will not wait for the multilevel parking in the market to come up, as there is sufficient space in the vicinity of the market for setting up parking lots.

According to MCG officials, upgrading street lamps, benches, footpaths, tiles and installing bins, mobile toilets, and fountains are also planned.

As per the market’s trade union, the oldest shop in the market was constructed in 1932 and there are around 1,100 shops in the area currently, with an average daily footfall of around 10,000. “The MCG has made similar announcements in the past, but these never progressed beyond the concept stage. We will consider the project seriously only after on-ground work commences,” said Bablu Gupta, trade union head, Sadar Bazar.

In May, the North Delhi Municipal Corporation had declared a 600-metre stretch of the congested Karol Bagh market, between Arya Samaj Road and Karol Bagh Metro station, a no-vehicle zone.

It is not the first time, MCG has proposed a similar pedestrian friendly project for Sadar Bazar. In January, former joint commissioner, Vivek Kalia, had finalised a budget of ₹12 crore for a project market on similar lines. Tenders for the project were expected to be floated in February, but after Kalia was transferred to Delhi in February, the project was left in limbo.

As part of Kalia’s plan, the MCG was looking at introducing non-emission vehicles to ferry visitors from parking lots to different points in the market. Khatri did not reveal if the MCG has a similar plan.

Sewa Ram, an urban transport systems design expert and a faculty member at the School of Planning and Architecture (SPA), New Delhi, said that the MCG needs to prepare a comprehensive traffic management plan as Sadar Bazar also has few pockets of residential areas.

“Unlike Karol Bagh, which is strictly a market area, Sadar Bazar has few pockets where residential areas are also situated. The MCG needs to take into account how residents of these areas can reach their houses. In addition, the MCG also needs to provide a safe option for transporting marketgoers from the parking lots to the market with the help of non-emission vehicles,” said Sewa Ram.

He said that similar to Chandni Chowk in Delhi, where seven sections of the market close on one particular day of the week for unloading and loading goods, the MCG could consider a similar option for Sadar Bazar to ensure that shops receive their stocks without much hindrance or ask traders to carry out the same between midnight and 6am, when the market is shut.