Delhi govt to redevelop Walled City, retain its historical character to make it a tourism hub

Chief Minister Rekha Gupta has taken charge of the redevelopment of Old Delhi after being appointed the Chairperson of the Shahjahanabad Redevelopment Corporation (SRDC), the government said on Tuesday. Gupta said the government would focus on improving infrastructure in the area without compromising its historical character and develop it as a tourism hub.

Old Delhi, also known as Shahjahanabad or the Walled City, is one of the Capital’s oldest inhabited areas and houses dense residential neighbourhoods, historic monuments and markets.

The CM also said overhead electrical wires in narrow lanes would be shifted underground to improve safety and reduce visual clutter. A traffic management plan would also be prepared to address congestion in commercial areas, and multi-level parking facilities would be explored to reduce on-street parking, she said.

Gupta said several projects earlier planned by the SRDC would be reviewed. These include the redevelopment of Chandni Chowk, the Jama Masjid area, Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Marg, and the stretch between Delhi Gate and Kashmere Gate. Officials said these projects would be reassessed with the aim of improving public spaces and tourism infrastructure.

The SRDC functions as a special purpose vehicle and coordinates with multiple agencies on development and conservation works. In August last year, Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor had recommended the dissolution of the agency and an audit of its operations, accusing the previous AAP government of corruption. In a meeting chaired by the CM in November, Chandni Chowk MP Praveen Khandelwal had recommended that the agency be renamed ‘Indraprastha Redevelopment Corporation’ or ‘Chandni Chowk Redevelopment Corporation’.

According to Sanjay Bhargava, president of Chandni Chowk Sarv Vyapar Mandal, the SRDC should prioritise action against illegal construction and destruction of heritage buildings.

The SRDC was constituted on May 1, 2008, by the Delhi government. It brings together agencies such as the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, Public Works Department and the Tourism Department. The government said the corporation had remained largely inactive in recent years due to administrative and coordination issues.