Opened in 2012, the Rs 2.2 crore women empowerment project failed miserably due to poor design and lack of basic facilities; it was shut for the last six months
Expected to empower women artisans and generate revenue, the Mahila Haat, opened by the unified municipal corporation of Delhi atop the Aruna Asaf Ali parking in 2012, presents a very sorry picture today.
The place, now under the north corporation, was completely shut for the last six months, but ahead of the municipal elections, the civic body has announced that the space will be used to host wedding functions.
Built opposite the GB Pant Hospital at a cost of Rs 2.2 crore, the haat was neglected by the corporation for years, before they shut it down completely. According to officials, from its inauguration in 2012 till March 2014, the corporation spent around Rs 8.03 lakh on its maintenance. The cash-strapped corporation, however, earned nothing from the haat in the last five years.
The space had 55 stalls, a performance stage, a garden, and two canteens. It had come up in place of the popular Shehnai banquet hall.
In the recent budget, ahead of the upcoming civic polls, the corporation woke up to the lost cause and announced that the haat would now go back to hosting wedding functions. "We will again allot the place for wedding functions and social events. We are yet to notify the same. The Mahila Haat project could not take off," a senior official said.
The corporation, he said, aims to earn nearly Rs 2 crore per year from this scheme. "Besides, boundary walls of the haat will be utilised for advertisement placement for additional income," he added.
Even when the haat was opened amid much fanfare, it had few takers because of the poor design and lack of basic amenities. The stalls were not like small shops, as in other haats of Delhi. After the first few months of opening, the space was a mess.
"Until 2014, only 20-25 of these stalls were allotted. The stalls were not properly covered and it was impossible for sellers to sit under the blazing summer sun. There were not many customers and hence sellers also stopped coming," said Rashid Ali, who runs a utensils store in the vicinity. His wife Shamina was one of the women artisans who had signed up.
In addition, there were no signs guiding one to the haat. The approach road was lined with small kiosks, rickshaws, and vendors, leaving no room to reach the entry.
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