Delhi-6 revamp a distant dream?

It has been almost 15 years since redevelopment of the historic city of Shahjahanabad, or modern day's Walled City or Old Delhi, was proposed. The web of overhead cables in its markets, hours-long traffic jams in its narrow alleys, and encroachment by vendors around its heritage sites were to be removed and the place was to be spruced up as a heritage tourist spot. The face-lift of the oldest city in Delhi, however, has been stuck in the time warp of files and politics.

The city of Mughal rulers has been in the running for the UNESCO World Heritage City tag, which initially triggered its revamp plans. Multiple court orders, plans, and presentations, however, failed to bring the various agencies concerned together for the work. Also, many architects, engineers, conservationists, and heritage experts have changed since then.

Work on the long-pending project moved a bit this August, but mainly on paper. It was finally decided that creation of parking spaces and enforcement of encroachment and traffic laws in the area must be set as priority.

Musical chairs

The Shahjahanabad Redevelopment Corporation (SRDC) has been handling the project. Appointment of the SRDC chairman was caught in red tape earlier this year, when Public Works Department (PWD) engineer-in-chief Sarvagya Srivastava was made the head but his appointment was cancelled by Lieutenant-Governor (L-G) Anil Baijal, who said norms were not followed.

Initially, deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia was the SRDC chairman but he passed on the post to urban development minister Satyender Jain, who then passed on the baton to Srivastava. During the Congress regime, the chief minister used to be the chairman of SRDC.

Recently, Jain again resumed charge while the new PWD principal secretary, Renu Sharma, is now the project's chief nodal officer. The project's entire execution was handed over to the PWD in 2012, as the Municipal Corporation of Delhi was not able to implement it on ground.

Earlier, former PWD principal secretary Ashwini Kumar was in-charge, who was transferred from the AAP government.

The initial plan of creating underground tunnels for movement of traffic was kept on hold as it was not feasible, Kumar had told DNA. "The priority is to focus on the basics — enforcing traffic regulation, removal of encroachment, and building adequate parking space. The overall revamp plan is too ambitious while the basics are missing. We have decided to fix things on the ground first and later take it to another level," a senior government official associated with the project said.

The decision was taken at a recent review meeting of the project with L-G Anil Baijal. The official, however, also said that removing encroachment from pavements was a challenge as squatters earned their livelihood there.

"Once removed, they come back to earn their bread. They need to be rehabilitated. The character of the place is such that by just redesigning or restoring the facades, it cannot be redeveloped as a whole. The society and the people living in the lanes, too, have to be readied for the change. That is why we have decided to work on improving the basic infrastructure first," the official said.

Also, the north corporation, under which the area falls, is looking for vacant land to be allocated to them to build stack parking spaces in the area, he added.

"We are in the process of acquiring land to build the parking spaces, which will help decongest the main roads to an extent. Stack parking can fit well in the Walled City. We are planning a stack parking at three Metro stations, including Lal Quila, Dilli Gate, and Chandni Chowk. This will help decongest the visitor traffic, who don't find a place to park at present," a senior north corporation official said.

Hope for the future

Bringing some hope to the project, the Delhi government finally has moved some files on revamping the 361-year-old Jama Masjid precinct. It entails restoring the façade and surroundings of the 17th century structure as well as the urban milieu around it.

The degradation of the structure was first flagged in 2004, after which the High Court ordered authorities to make plans to restore the structure to its glory. The site is visited by tourists from all over the world throughout the year.

At present, the approach roads to the mosque have been encroached upon by vendors, hawkers, and squatters with the boundaries encircling the structure dotted by small shops. The lanes leading up the to place are congested with slow-moving traffic and illegal parking.

After the L-G's recent directions to speed up the redevelopment work, the SRDC sent two plans for the makeover of the Walled City to the School of Planning and Architecture (SPA) for suggestions. Once the plans are approved, a committee formed by the government will look into their implementation.

Refurbishment plan

The project has been planned in different phases — redevelopment of Chandni Chowk, revamp of Jama Masjid precinct, traffic management of Chandni Chowk Road from Red Fort to Fatehpuri Masjid as non-motorised vehicle (NMV) zone, and improvement of the socio-economic status of the community surrounding the area.

According to the revamp plans, the Chandni Chowk area, a jumble of narrow lanes, was to be turned into a vehicle-free and pedestrian-friendly zone. The plan was to make walkways and allow only bicycles, cycle rickshaws, and electric or battery-operated vehicles to ply.

The extreme congestion and incursion of a myriad variety of activities and trade has deteriorated the living conditions in the area. Despite a number of fire accidents, provisions of the Delhi Master Plan 2021 have not been implemented by the departments concerned.

The project also included taking off all the overhead cables dangling from poles and shifting them underground, which, besides being an eyesore, are a safety hazard. Then improvement of facades, new road signages, construction of footpaths, upgrade of sewer and drainage systems, street furniture, and preserving other heritage in the area was to be done.

'Civic body and police have failed miserably'

Q & A with Alka Lamba, Chandni Chowk MLA

What do you think is the most crucial issue to be addressed in the Walled City?

Illegal encroachment is the major issue in the entire locality. Both North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) and the Delhi Police have failed to tackle it. They, however, have now started a drive, following the High Court's order. Parking is another crucial issue. Adequate parking space is not available due to illegal encroachment in the area. We need to come up with some facility such as free e-rickshaws or vans to stop the movement of private vehicles in the alleys of the Walled City. Also, there are no public parks or spaces near these markets. The corporation should renovate these areas, such as the Urdu park of Jama Masjid. Also, there are no public toilets for women even thought majority of the visitors in these markets are women.

Why are anti-encroachment drives not successful in the Walled City?

It's a complete failure of the Delhi Police and the north civic body. Officials at the corporation say they have only two cranes to remove illegal encroachments. They also claim they don't have sufficient funds to buy new cranes. The Delhi Police are not at all serious about tackling the issue. They have even failed to control the rising number of snatching cases in the area.

At what stage is the re-development work stuck? It has been pending since 2011...

The Shahjahanabad Redevelopment Corporation (SRDC) has a new chief nodal officer, Renu Sharma, who is not even acquainted with the Walled City. It will take time for her to understand the issues of the locality. Also, she can't give undivided attention to the redevelopment plan as she already has multiple charges. I had personally requested the L-G to appoint someone familiar with the area.

What is the AAP government doing for the redevelopment of this historic city?

We are working to make SRDC an independent civic body, just like the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC). The involvement of multiple agencies has already delayed the redevelopment plan for so long.

Origin of the city

In 1639, because of the paucity of space in Agra and Lahore courts, Mughal emperor Shah Jahan laid the foundation stone for a new capital — Shahjahanabad. The planned city was encircled by an 8 km wall, interspersed by 14 entry gates and 16 wicket gates called khirkis (windows), which were oriented towards important regions and cities in the empire — Kashmir, Ajmer, Lahore, and the pre-existing settlements in the south. It enclosed an area of about 590 hectares. The palace citadel, Qila-i-Mubarak (Red Fort), was located at the junction of the north-south and east-west axis of the city, along with what was then the edge of river Yamuna. Another major focal point was the main congregational Friday mosque, Jama Masjid, built on a prominent hillock called Bhojla Pahari. The Mughal trade markets were settled on both sides of the stretch from Lal Quila to Fatehpuri Mosque, such as Fatehpuri Bazaar, Chitli Bazaar, Urdu Bazaar, Jauhri Bazaar, Khari Baoli, Khas Bazaar, and Faiz Bazaar. Chattah Chowk, the covered bazaar inside the Red Fort complex, catered only to the royal family.

Facelift plans

The plan to give the Walled City a facelift, including turning Chandni Chowk into a vehicle-free zone, was first conceived in 2003 by the then chief minister Sheila Dikshit. The Shahjahanabad Redevelopment Plan was approved in 2007. Initially, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) was given the work to draft the plan. It was submitted in the High Court in 2006, and was later modified by the Delhi Urban Arts Commission (DUAC) in 2009. After MCD's trifurcation, however, the project fell under the North Delhi Municipal Corporation. Later, the work was handed over to the SRDC.

Project aims

• To be a catalyst for future conservation and revitalisation of Shahjahanabad.
• To reinforce pedestrian movement.
• To make Chandni Chowk a multifunctional entity as a market street, a gathering place for the public, and a ceremonial axis for festive occasions.
• To bring greenery back to the landscape.

Plan for Chandni Chowk

Phase I

The first phase covers shifting of electric wires on the main roads underground. The executing agency is the BSES Yamuna Power, along with the implementing agency (MCD or PWD). It covers the following roads:

i) Lal Jain Mandir-Fatehpuri Masjid main road
ii) Khari Baoli
iii) Naya Bazar
iv) Church Mission road
v) HC Sen road
vi) Esplanade road
vii) Nai Sarak
viii) Dariba Kalan
ix) Jama Masjid
x) Urdu Bazar
xi) Matia Mahal

Phase II

• It aims at taking remedial measures to decongest the current mixed traffic and other related issues.
• The solutions need to be both economically feasible as well as technologically viable, in terms of power consumption and environment friendliness.
• The plan includes street improvement, creating pedestrian-friendly environment, integrated plan for all the services, and preservation of heritage and culture.