The Hindu : Bid to stem fading glory of Chandni Chowk

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Sep 16, 2003

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Bid to stem fading glory of Chandni Chowk

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI SEPT. 15. In an attempt to build up a movement to save the historic Walled City whose rich cultural and architectural heritage is under serious threat due to "unabated commercialisation" and illegal constructions, the first ever brainstorming session on how to save Chandni Chowk is being held here in the Capital on September 19.

The initiative is being organised by the Chandni Chowk MP and Union Minister of State for Sports and Youth Affairs, Vijay Goel, who has taken up various projects to protect the crumbling life in the area. The seminar will be inaugurated by the Union Tourism and Culture Minister, Jagmohan, and will witness the participation of a cross-section of people connected with day-to-day work in the Walled City. Eminent among the participants are O.P. Jain of INTACH, expert town plannner Sayed S. Shafi, Narender Sharma of MTNL, Delhi Police Commissioner R.S. Gupta, MCD chief Rakesh Mehta and Parveen Kahndelwal representing the trading community. Among the political representatives will be the Delhi Tourism Minister, Ajay Maken. Delhi's Lieutenant-Governor, Vijai Kapoor, will be one of the main speakers at the inaugural session.

Talking about the seminar, Mr. Goel said till date only verbal efforts have been made to restore the old glory of the city which was slowly and steadily falling prey to illegal constructions, builder mafia and official neglect. In fact, he said the character of the Walled City had changed during the past one decade due to constant migration of residents to other parts of the city. The unplanned growth, the blatant commercialisation and unchecked influx of builders have created a situation where people are selling their age-old properties and going to other places in the Capital. The entire Chandni Chowk, which was often visited by not only Delhiiites but also outsiders, was now facing a decline in people visiting it. The ever increasing congestion and the mounting problems due to this factor were making things very difficult for the people and those engaged in trade and business and if steps were not taken to save the situation, things could go from bad to worse.

The Union Minister said that the seminar "Chandni Chowk: Save the Walled City" was aimed at starting a movement to save the Walled City from decaying further. He felt that this should not be a limited effort and the need was to involve all the people and agencies that were engaged in framing policies and providing services in the area. An honest attempt, he said, was being made to save the heritage city from total collapse. The city is a shambles due to multiplicity of authority and continued neglect by the officials and the agencies concerned. Such is the situation that despite repeated discussions and decisions, nothing moves. The agencies concerned are only engaged in holding meetings and not taking policy decisions for implementation. Mr. Goel, who has often talked about reducing the number of rickshaws in the Chandni Chowk area, said this would be one of the issues which would come up for discussion as the influx of rickshaws, majority of them illegal, had also created a situation where people dread coming to this area which was once famous for its rich cuisine and enchanting shopping experience.

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