Civic infra in Walled City frozen in time
NEW DELHI: The serpentine lanes, the spice and textile bazars and the decrepit structures in Shahjahanabad or Old Delhi attract lot of tourists and attention worldwide but for the local residents, the crumbling civic infrastructure and rising congestion are issues that have remained unresolved despite promises by political parties in successive elections.
Proliferation of commercial units, illegal constructions and increase in population have only added to their woes, say residents.
Last week, a fire gutted 150 shops at Bhagirath Place market where narrow lanes, overhanging wires, overloaded circuits and lack of general amenities ensured that fire fighters continued cooling off operations till Tuesday this week.
Residents say that while the area has been afflicted by these issues for decades, the state of affairs has worsened during the past decade with the increase in population density in the area and the proliferation of commercial units.
Kashish Badar, a developmental communication professional, who lives in the vicinity of Jama Masjid, said, “Old Delhi is a unique space and its heritage and culture should be celebrated but one often forgets that there are pressing everyday struggles that residents living here face. Basic needs that should be guaranteed to any citizen are not being met.”
Excessive commercialisation, narrow congested lanes, poor traffic and waste management, irregular water supply, and lack of public spaces and parks for residents, were among pressing concerns plaguing the area that Badar listed out.
Many others who live in the area agreed and added that the municipal corporation has failed to provide basic amenities and resolve long-standing issues.
Ashok Mathur, a resident of Chandni Chowk, said that private builders in alleged connivance with the authorities have changed the character of old Delhi. “People are making money through unchecked illegal constructions. Water supply is also another issue due to which borewells have sprung up everywhere. The ground water table is going down and people have to rely on packaged water since the groundwater is not fit for drinking and cooking. I really don’t think the situation is going to change in favour of the residents. Neither is there any respect for the area’s heritage,” said Mathur.
Anil Pershad, one of the owners of Chandni Chowk’s iconic Chunnamal Haveli, said that custodians of heritage properties are stuck in a limbo with little or no intervention by the civic corporation. Pershad said that while political parties spoke about heritage conservation, there was no clarity on when it might begin. “Traders now enjoy an upper hand in the area. The residents are never called for any meeting or given the chance to put forward their inputs on major changes that affect our day-to-day lives,” he said.
A separate redevelopment plan for Special Areas of Delhi was envisaged in Master Plan of Delhi 2021 under which the MCD was supposed to allow urban regeneration but it was never implemented.
Sanjay Bhargava, president Chandni Chowk Sarv Vyapar Mandal, called for a statutory body on the lines of NDMC to cater specifically to the needs of the old Delhi. “It is the only solution to save the city,” said Bhargava.