In an attempt to attract more users to its subways and to ward off anti-social elements, the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has decided to create shopping and cultural hubs. To start off, the council will create ‘Micro Haats’, an exclusive kiosk selling Tihar Jail products, at Baba Kharak Singh Marg and Janpath subways respectively.
“We soon will send a proposal to the Commissioner of Handicrafts asking them to send us a blueprint for a Micro Haats to be created in the amphitheatre-like open space in front of Hanuman Mandir and next to the BKS Marg subway,” said a senior NDMC official.
Moreover, the council has decided to let out its subway at Janpath to the Tihar Jail Factory free of cost. “The products of Tihar Jail are very high in quality and people widely use it. Unlike others we won’t charge anything from them. Maintenance along with security and electricity connections will be given by us,” said the official. Tihar Jal products are made by the convicts of the jail and 50 percent of the revenue goes to the families of these convicts.
For now, the council prefers calling the outlet at BKS Marg ‘Micro Haat’ as it would be laid out in one-third of the total area of the open space outside the subway. “The outlet will be a miniature form of ‘Dilli Haat’ located in INA,” he added. Sources said that once the plan is implemented after the consent of the Ministry of Handicrafts and Textiles, the council will have a 50 percent stake in the revenue earned through the ‘Haat’.
However, officials in the council said that maintenance and indispensable costs like that of electricity and water will have to be borne by the participating party. The council has strictly prohibited advertisements in and around these subways.
“Even the security will have to be taken care by them. It is a very calculative step. The stakeholders will try their level best to keep anti-social elements like alcoholics, drug-addicts, thieves and pick-pockets so that their revenues are not affected,” said another official.
These decisions have come after the NDMC had proposed renting out spaces in subways to various branded corporates, in order to remove negative elements like beggars and drug-addicts from subways in Connaught Place.