NEW DELHI: After the Delhi Urban Development Commission (DUAC) rejected the proposal for redevelopment of Chandni Chowk, the Delhi High Court has directed Lieutenant Governor (L-G) Anil Baijal to convene a meeting of all stakeholders in the project to reach a consensus over suggestions made by the commission.
It is mandatory to get approval from DUAC for every project or structure in the national capital which is likely to affect the skyline or the aesthetics of the surroundings.
Urging agencies associated with the project, including members of the Unified Traffic and Transportation Infrastructure (Planning & Engineering) Centre (UTTIPEC), which approved the project in August last year, to be receptive to new ideas, the court said, “All parties to participate in the meeting with an open mind and to work towards the larger public interest, keeping in view the need to carry forward the Chandni Chowk Redevelopment Project. The basic approach should be non-adversarial.”
The L-G is chairperson of the UTTIPEC, and all infrastructure projects in the national capital need a nod from the body.
As per the court order, the said meeting is to be convened on May 15.
In an order passed on Tuesday, a bench of Justices S Muralidhar and IS Mehta left the decision to hold more meetings to resolve the issue, if required, to the L-G.
“If the deliberations remain inconclusive, further meetings be convened so that the exercise of deliberations and discussion be completed and a consensus or decisions arrived at before the next date of hearing,” said the order. The next date of hearing is May 27.
The long-pending project to decongest the about 1.5 kilometre-long Chandni Chowk road, starting from Red Fort to Fatehpuri mosque, was given the final go ahead by the UTTIPEC in August last year. Under the redevelopment plan, power transformers, police booths, public conveniences and other facilities are proposed to be placed on a 3.5 metre-wide central vista. In March, the DUAC red-flagged the proposal to place power transformers and public toilets on the median.
The work began in December. A Delhi government official associated with the project said a part of the redevelopment might be completed by August 15. “Five power transformers have already been placed. We are targeting completing work on a section of the road--from Red Fort crossing to Gurdwara Sis Ganj--by August 15. This will help showcase the efforts being made to preserve the heritage character of the 17th century market,” he said.