New Delhi   

Hanuman Mandir area to get a facelift now

Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI: It has been the ultimate bangle destination for generations of women in the Capital. Known for the best variety in the business, the bangle-sellers of Hanuman Mandir in Connaught Place are now all set to give up their makeshift shops for a more “permanent” arrangement. With the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) having approved a project for the facelift of this ancient temple, the crowded parking lot, the tiny stalls and the dirty surroundings are all set to change.

“This project was approved by the NDMC in May. The idea is to give the area a facelift. It was planned together with the street-scaping of Baba Kharak Singh Marg,” said an NDMC official.

Costing a little over Rs. 4 crore, the proposed makeover will not only spruce up the surroundings of the temple but also add visitor-friendly facilities. There will be toilets at a discreet distance from the temple, a swanky food-court and much-needed better drainage.

“The overcrowded parking for cars will be demolished and there will be a guided entry and exit. We will have a two-level plaza in front of the Mandir,” said an official.

One of the older temples in the city, Hanuman Mandir may be a popular destination but it suffers from utter lack of organisation and planning. While thousands of people flock to it, the temple has very few facilities for devotees and practically no access for people who are differently-abled.

Now the NDMC authorities plan to change all that. “There will be walk-ways and ramps. We want the surroundings of the temple to improve. We are also targeting essential features of the temple that need to be upgraded. So there will be a better drainage and sewage system. There will be improvement in the electricity system of the temple too,” said an official.

The food stalls in front of the temple will be demolished and there will be a new clean food court for those who want to sample the fare at the temple. Apart from making “concrete” changes, the NDMC officials also plan to make the surroundings a little more “green”. The project is expected to be completed by December next year.

On a major cleaning-up spree, the NDMC has also decided to extend the uniform “look” that it has designed for the Tibetan Market on Janpath to the rest of the street. “This will give the whole street the same look. At the moment, we had redone the Tibetan Market so that all the shops have the same façade. Now this project will be extended till the end of the street where the shoe-sellers are,” said a senior official.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Hanuman Mandir area to get a facelift now
Ambedkar a role model for youth today, says Arjun
New water reservoir inaugurated
in the capital today
Tihar death: case registered
Resolution to ban mercury trade hailed
Businessman robbed
Woman identified
Man found hanging
Cop suspended for alleged assault
‘Pickpockets’ held

Copyright © 2007, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu