Neglected Coronation Park to reclaim its glory
NEW DELHI: After a prolonged delay, a gallery exhibiting documents, maps, photos, drawings, letters, coins and artefacts that depict the birth of ‘New Delhi’, along with a cafe, will soon be open for visitors coming to north Delhi’s Coronation Park.
The ground, in Kingsway Camp just a few metres off the national highway connecting Delhi to Sonepat, witnessed the coronation of King George V and Queen Mary as the Emperor and Empress of India held in 1911. It was here that the monarch announced the shifting of the capital from Kolkata to Delhi.
Delhi Development Authority (DDA) issued an e-auction notice inviting bidders to run the heritage interpretation centre-cummuseum at the site last month. The facility was the highlight of the Sheila Dikshit government’s plan to redevelop the park.
The plan, conceived around 10 years ago, was to be completed in 2011, coinciding with Delhi’s 100th anniversary as capital.
“We have issued a notice for the e-auction of restaurant and interpretation centre on license fee at Coronation Park last month. The process has started and the bid will take place on March 19,” said senior official of the DDA’S License Property Cell.
The historic site contains statues of British dignitaries, which were brought here in late 1960s. An obelisk stands in the middle of the sprawling ground on a high square platform surrounded by a flight of steps on four sides.
A granite pillar marks the place where the King and Queen were seated during the accession ceremony. The column was placed here in 1914 to commemorate the occasion.
The venue was, earlier, used for the proclamation of Queen Victoria in 1877 and accession of King Edward VII in 1903.
SHIFTING THE STATUES
Soon after independence, there was a growing demand for the removal of British colonial statuary installed in different cities, including Delhi. To mount pressure on the government, several foreign statues were attacked and defaced across the country.
As the administration relented, about 11 imperial dignitaries including King George V which were then located at different locations in Delhi, were also removed.
King George V’s statue, relocated in 1968, was the tallest and stood at the canopy at India Gate.
These statues were initially kept at the Exhibition Ground at Mathura Road, developed as Pragati Maidan, but were later transferred to the Coronation Park in the late 1960s.
Professor Vijay Kumar Malhotra (86), senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader said during his stint as chief executive councillor (CEC) of Delhi’s Metropolitan Council, he had got the statues of Queen Victoria (Town Hall) and Edward VII (Edward Park, Jama Masjid) removed from Old Delhi.
“We replaced the Queen’s sculpture with Swami Shraddhanand and ensemble statue of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and his INA soldiers were put in place of Edward’s one in the park located between Lal Quila and Jama Masjid,” said Malhotra, who was CEC in 1967-72 (a post equivalent to chief minister).
Krishna Sobti (93), noted author, said that the last statue moved to Coronation Park was that of King George V from India Gate. “The government had proposed to put Mahatma Gandhi’s statue at the canopy,” she added.
THE REDEVELOPMENT
Coronation Park was earlier under the Central Public Work Department (CPWD). In the 1990s, CPWD decided to reinstall stone figures lying here on properly designed pedestals, and as a result red-sandstone platforms were constructed. However, the land was transferred to DDA in 2005 and the plan got struck.
After Sheila Dikshit took interest in its redevelopment as a memorial, the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) was roped in. Noted landscape architect Mohammad Shaheer designed the complex’s layout.
Enclosures and pathways were created and lights were also installed. Though the landscaping was completed in 2012, the construction of restaurant complex and interpretation centre could be finished only in 2014. However, they have been lying unused since.
In the absence of proper maintenance and security arrangements, the statues have fallen prey to vandals. They have been defaced and scribbled with graffiti. The lake, which was created to enhance the park’s attraction, lies dry.
Swapna Liddle, convener, INTACH, however, said that it was sad that a project which was completed long ago, remains neglected today. “Unfortunately, we don’t know what we should do with our colonial heritage. Whenever someone talks about, it is said that they support colonialism. We need to end this misconception,” she said.