Coffee Home to make way for cark park, office complex

For an entire generation, it has been one of the favourite hangout zones in the heart of Delhi. The Coffee Home on Baba Kharak Singh Marg was the place to relax, meet friends or gorge on Upma after a shopping spree at the nearby handicrafts emporia. Sidhartha Roy reports.

For an entire generation, it has been one of the favourite hangout zones in the heart of Delhi. The Coffee Home on Baba Kharak Singh Marg was the place to relax, meet friends or gorge on Upma after a shopping spree at the nearby handicrafts emporia.

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The more than two-decade-old Coffee Home, however, will soon be history. The existing building will be demolished and in its place will come up a multi-level car parking and an office complex. It has not yet been decided if a new coffee home will be part of the proposed building.

The Coffee Home, which is run by the Delhi Tourism and Transport Development Corporation (DTTDC), stands on land belonging to the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC). DTTDC plans to christen the new building Paryatan Bhavan.

"The Coffee Home came up in the late 1980s, along with other Coffee Homes in the Capital. Many people prefer this place because it is easily accessible, in the heart of the city and yet offers food at reasonable rates," said a senior DTTDC official who didn't wish to be named.

However, the authorities now want more optimum use of the space. "The multi-level car parking will help in curbing parking problems at Connaught Place up to an extent. Also, the office complex above will have information stalls of tourism departments of all Indian states," he said.

"It would be a one-stop information centre for tourists planning to visit any part of the country."