Electric carts likely to ply in Chandni Chowk by October

NEW DELHI: Vintage electric golf carts may ply by October on the 1.3-km-long revamped Chandni Chowk stretch between the Red Fort and Fatehpuri Masjid, officials aware of the matter said.

According to the minutes of a July 26 meeting — attended by nodal officers for the Chandni Chowk redevelopment project — an agency with a domain expert will be roped in to oversee the selection of an operator for the electric carts for the stretch by the first week of August.

“It was decided that the commissioner (transport) will ensure issuance of expression of interest by August 1, so as to ensure operation of vintage look electric golf carts by September 30,” said minutes of the meeting, which HT has seen.

Nitin Panigrahi, deputy general manager, Shahjahanabad Redevelopment Corporation (SRDC), confirmed the same. “We are aiming to ensure operation of electric carts by September-end,” said Panigrahi.

SRDC is the nodal agency constituted for the redevelopment of the heritage market. Conceived in 2006, the Chandni Chowk redevelopment project was launched after a prolonged delay in December 2018, following the directions of the Delhi high court which is also monitoring the project.

Last month on June 30, SRDC proposed to run electric vehicles similar to golf carts with a vintage look on the revamped stretch which has been made a no-go zone for motorised vehicles between 9 am and 9pm. These low-speed electric golf carts are expected to have a maximum speed of 25-30 km per hour. The service is being proposed to help the elderly and infirm who visit the popular market, and will be run for free.

During the July 26 meeting, it was also decided that the design for cycle rickshaws will be finalised by August 7 so that newly designed rickshaws can start plying before September 30. IIT Delhi is expected to submit the detailed design within a week. Further, the commissioner (transport) has been asked to submit a timeline for the completion of an impact assessment study of pedestrianisation of Chandni Chowk by August 7, an official said.

The first phase of the redevelopment project is nearing completion, and phase two of the Chandni Chowk redevelopment project will focus on façade restoration and improvement of arterial roads. By August 15, the PWD engineer-in-chief is expected to finalise the appointment of a consultant for façade restoration and Jama Masjid precinct, officials said.