NEW DELHI: Delhi’s iconic shopping centre — Connaught Place — is in a ‘dilapidated condition’. Taking note of its decaying Georgian architecture, the Heritage Conservation Committee (HCC) asked the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) to formulate a ‘comprehensive set of policy or guidelines for heritage conservation and urban design in the Connaught Place area’.
The panel, headed by additional secretary of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, has also sought a report in this regard from the municipal body within six weeks.
The development took place earlier this month after the chief architect of the NDMC wrote to the committee highlighting the ramshackle condition of the various structures in Connaught Place, the most sought after business centre in the city built around 1930. He also requested for an urgent inspection of the heritage site to take a holistic view of its decaying condition.
“The council wrote to the HCC to look into the issue as they are the expert body. We want the HCC to guide us on this,” said an NDMC official. However, he added that as all properties in the area are private possessions, the owners must carry out regular repairs and maintenance work.
“The council has already started working in one block and is seeking maps of the buildings to study the situation further. We have sourced drawings and plans of two structures — Regal building and Scindia House from the Land and Development Office (L&DO). With their help, we will try to redraw and analyse them to know the original building plan through Computer-aided design. It will take time,” the official said.
It is mandatory to seek approval from the HCC, set up for protection of heritage buildings or precincts in Delhi, to undertake repair or renovation in Connaught Place.
According to the NDMC officials, notices are being served on the owners in Connaught Place asking them to inform the municipal body about the safety of their properties.
Local shopkeepers and traders, however, alleged that procuring permission from authorities for repair is a cumbersome and time-consuming process.
“We have been writing to the Urban Development Minister, local member of parliament, NDMC, HCC and also Delhi Development Authority seeking relaxation for basic repair and maintenance. Sometimes, it takes six months to get mandatory approval, which causes huge revenue loss,” said Atul Bhargava, president of New Delhi Traders Association.