The Delhi government has renamed the Shahjahanabad Redevelopment Corporation, established for the conservation and redevelopment of Old Delhi, as “Indraprastha Virasat Punarvikas Nigam” (IVPN).
At the Annual General Meeting of the IVPN, chaired by Chief Minister Rekha Guota, it was decided that the redevelopment of the historic Chandni Chowk would be accorded the highest priority.
Gupta instructed the officials to develop modern and functional public toilet blocks and expand other civic amenities in view of the daily movement of lakhs of people through the area. According to her, through the corporation, a comprehensive and serious initiative has begun to preserve Old Delhi’s historical identity while equipping it with modern civic amenities.
The meeting was attended by Urban Development Minister and Vice Chairman of the corporation Ashish Sood, Managing Director Sandeep Kumar and senior officials from the concerned departments.
Several key decisions were taken during the meeting on the holistic redevelopment of Old Delhi, heritage conservation, expansion of civic infrastructure and promotion of tourism. Reviewing the redevelopment of the historic Town Hall, Gupta directed that a major entry and exit point be created from the Chandni Chowk side as well, so that the landmark building can emerge as a major heritage and tourist destination.
The meeting also emphasised safeguarding the interests of local traders and shopkeepers to maintain a balance between heritage conservation and commercial activity.
The CM stated that the Chandni Chowk market had evolved alongside the area’s development, and that restoring its past glory would require keeping the interests of its markets, traders and shopkeepers at the forefront. She added that the redevelopment of Chandni Chowk must take into account the interests of its markets, tourists, shoppers and local residents alike.
Gupta asked for a dedicated control room to be set up in the market to help visitors with information, guidance, and also prompt assistance to the tourists.
Special emphasis was laid on developing organised parking facilities to make access and vehicle parking more convenient for visitors.
The Chief Minister instructed officials to prepare a detailed blueprint for the integrated development of the Hanuman Temple at Yamuna Bazaar and the area behind it as part of the larger redevelopment project. She also directed officials to prepare a comprehensive plan for the beautification and redevelopment of the Jama Masjid area and Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Marg in front of the Old Delhi Railway Station.
The meeting also stressed that the development of Old Delhi should not remain confined to physical infrastructure alone, and instead, heritage conservation, tourism promotion, economic activity, civic amenities and environmental sustainability should all be pursued through an integrated approach.
Sood emphasized that the redevelopment of Chandni Chowk and its surrounding historic areas would go beyond physical infrastructure and would be undertaken with full sensitivity towards preserving their historical, cultural and architectural heritage. To achieve this, it was decided that historians, heritage conservation experts, architectural specialists and other domain experts would be involved in the planning and implementation of the redevelopment projects. He said this would help preserve the market’s original historical character, traditional architecture, cultural identity and unique heritage while ensuring the development of modern civic infrastructure.
Notably, Old Delhi covers approximately 7.12 square kilometres, as per officials, and the historic city, which is more than 350 years old, is home to one World Heritage Site, 10 nationally protected monuments, 10 state-protected monuments and more than 700 locally protected heritage sites.