State government fixes enforcement and creation of parking spaces as priorities for the year
After years of delay in the ambitious makeover of Walled City under the Shahjahanabad Redevelopment Corporation (SRDC), the AAP government has finally set enforcement and creation of parking space in the area as the top priorities for the year. The civic body and the traffic police have been asked to step up the process.
"The focus will be on the basics — enforcing traffic regulation, removal of encroachment and building adequate parking space. The plan is too ambitious while the basics are missing. We have decided to fix the things on the ground first and later take it to another level," said a senior government official who is associated with the project.
The decision was taken at a recent review meeting of the project with Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal.
However, the official also said that removing encroachment from pavements was a challenge as those squatting there earn their livelihood there.
"Once removed, they again 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 the basic infrastructure first," he said.
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.
"Stack parking can fit well in the Walled City, as these occupy less space and can house many vehicles. 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 at present don't find the place to park at the Metro stations," a senior North Corporation official said.
A top government official also claimed that the plan of building a tunnel in the area is not convincing, as it will not help decongest the place.
Meanwhile, the SRDC continues to function headless, which has also been hampering the development work.
Recently, the Delhi High Court had pulled up the SRDC and asked it to remove illegal encroachments from the Chandni Chowk area.
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