The Hindu : New Delhi News : High Court orders report on Jama Masjid spruce up

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, May 20, 2006

New Delhi

New Delhi

High Court orders report on Jama Masjid spruce up

Staff Reporter

Urban Arts Commission would be involved in re-development of the historic monument

NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Friday directed an architect to prepare a detailed project report on re-development of the historic Jama Masjid and its surrounding areas in the Walled City of Delhi.

A Division Bench of the Court comprising Justice Vijender Jain and Justice Rekha Sharma directed architect Pradeep Sachdeva to prepare the project report within four weeks.

The Bench further stated that the Delhi Urban Arts Commission would also be shown the project report and would be involved in re-development of the mosque and its surrounding areas.

With regard to the restoration of the grave of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad near the Jama Masjid, the Bench directed Nazmi Waziri, counsel for the Delhi Wakf Board, to request the Jamia Millia Univesrity Vice-Chancellor, Mushirul Hasan, to write the text for a plaque to be put up on the grave of Azad.

Before putting up the plaque, its text would be submitted to the Court for approval, the Bench ordered.

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi has prepared a Rs. 94-crore project, to be implemented in two years, for re-developing the historic Jama Masjid and its surrounding areas as an international tourist site. However, the Court has directed it to implement it in one-and-a-half years.

According to the MCD's project, Rs. 20 crores will be spent on building a multi-level underground parking on a build-operate-and-transfer basis at the Parade Ground in front of the Red Fort; Rs. 40 crores on building another multi-level parking for cars on Netaji Subhas Marg; Rs. 19 crores for development of the Netaji Subhas Marg corridor from the Lothian Bridge crossing to the Darya Ganj crossing; Rs. 8.14 crores for development of the area near the Meena Bazar adjacent to the mosque and Rs. 6.3 crores for development of peripheral roads from Netaji Subhas Marg to Parade Ground.

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