NEW DELHI: Delhi PWD Minister Satyendar Jain on Tuesday directed the senior officials of the Department to make an SOP for essential and emergency services which will be allowed at the revamped area of Chandni Chowk. He also reviewed the beautification work done in Chandni Chowk with officials. Jain said that the beauty of the Chandni Chowk must be maintained to promote tourism in Delhi; every rule should be strictly followed. He said that through the revamp we are ensuring zero crowds of vehicles in Chandni Chowk as before; people will get relief and tourism will be easily promoted. Redevelopment of Delhi's historic heritage Chandni Chowk completed, CM Arvind Kejriwal to inaugurate on April 17.
Brightness of the street lights at this stretch should be high so that no one feels insecure: Satyendar Jain
PWD Minister Satyendar Jain discussed in detail the facilities offered to tourists on the Chandni Chowk road that was redesigned from Red Fort to Fatepuri Mosque. He stated that the brightness of the street lights installed on the road is low, instilling a sense of insecurity among people. He instructed for the installation of more illuminating LEDs on the street. He also suggested planting high-rise saplings on the street, so that the shopkeepers would not face any problem. Officials said that Chandni Chowk has been developed in four phases from Red Fort to Gurudwara, Gurdwara to Town Hall, Town Hall to Ballimaran and Ballimaran to Fatepuri Mosque.
Only manual rickshaws would be allowed on the redeveloped road of Chandni Chowk
Only manual rickshaws would be allowed on the redeveloped road of Chandni Chowk. Manual rickshaws plying in this area will be marked and regularized. Officials said that for this, colour coding of rickshaws will be done and they will be given a batch so that unauthorized rickshaws cannot enter the area. Shopkeepers would be allowed to move their luggage only on these rickshaws. They will be operated in such a way that they do not overtake each other. If a rickshaw has to unload or load material, then it would do so at a place next to it in order to avoid traffic jam.
The entry of motor vehicles during the day would be prohibited on this road at Chandni Chowk
The entry of motor vehicles during the day would be prohibited on this road at Chandni Chowk. Barriers are being installed to prevent any motor vehicles from entering the restricted area. Also, CCTV cameras are being installed at various places, so that such vehicles can be regulated. Delhi Police officials demanded 166 civil defence volunteers from the PWD minister to take action against motor vehicles entering the restricted area. Police officials said they lacked manpower, so they need some people to help as long as the cameras do not start working. The minister has directed the PWD department to provide 75 volunteers for two months.
Beauty of the Chandni Chowk must be maintained to promote tourism in Delhi; every rule should be strictly followed: Satyendar Jain
PWD Minister Satyendar Jain said, "Chandni Chowk is a historical site. It has been made beautiful to promote tourism and it is the responsibility of all of us to maintain its beauty. We have to ensure that the situation in Chandni Chowk does not become as it was before. He said that now everyone would like to come to see the beauty of Chandni Chowk. If, as before, due vehicles and crowd, people do not get any relief, then Chandni Chowk's image will be tarnished and it will be difficult to gain it back. It is the responsibility of the Delhi Police to ensure that the rules are followed. It will be the responsibility of the local police to ban the entry of motor vehicles in the restricted area. there might be many people who will deliberately try to enter with motor vehicles. We need to be strict from the beginning. If we strictly follow these measures for one or two months in the beginning, then people would start following the rules."
Vehicles providing essential and emergency services will be allowed in the area from Red Fort to Fatehpuri Mosque
Vehicles providing essential and emergency services will be allowed in the area from Red Fort to Fatehpuri Mosque. For instance, ambulances, fogging vehicles, police vehicles, bank cash vans and security vans will be allowed. Cleaning of roads will be done before 9 AM. The PWD Minister has directed the creation of SOPs for essential and emergency services. Permission has to be taken from the local administration on a daily basis for any necessary repair work etc.
A Look at the Chandani Chowk Project
According to the design plan, the central median width of the road is 3.5 meters. There are already 18 transformers for power supply to street lights etc. The width of the road carriageway is 5.5 meters. For non-motorized vehicles, 5 to 10 meters wide pavement has been built on either side of the road. On the north side, the carriageway is 5.5 meters wide and the pavement is made 5 to 10 meters wide. The width of the central median is 3.5 meters. At the same time, the south side carriageway is 5.5 meters wide and the pavement is 5.5 to 11.5 meters wide. There is also a 2.5-meter footpath on either side of the road. Electric Vehicles will also be operated for the convenience of the senior citizens. This road has been developed from Red Fort to Fatehpuri Mosque. A sum of 99 crores has been spent on this entire project. Work on the project began on 1st December 2018 and was targeted to be completed by November 2020, but due to the Covid-19, it got delayed by a year.
Overcoming the challenges faced during the beautification of Chandani Chowk
In the Chandni Chowk market area, the old pipeline has been replaced with new sewerage for water connection during the redevelopment process, while the existing sewerage network has been restored by cleaning and relaying the internal surface. Also, a dedicated water line has been installed for the street fire hydrant to reduce fire hazards on both sides of the road and inside the very congested and inaccessible markets. These structural reforms proved to be crucial since no complaints of waterlogging were filed this year from the area. Not only a stormwater drainage system has been built, but also has special emphasis has been given on the slope throughout the section with saucer drainage on both sides, to avoid blocking drains with plastic or waste.
Given that Chandani Chowk is the hub of street food, IGL's gas pipeline has been laid across the entire section to strengthen public safety in these food joints. There are no plans for a vending zone in the area prohibited for hawking, due to judicial pronouncements from various courts. The major challenge for the redevelopment project was also the underground shifting of water pipelines, electric cables, etc.
