Govt renames Shahjahanabad Redevelopment Corporation to IVPN

Aiming to restore the historic, cultural and architectural heritage of Old Delhi, including Chandni Chowk to its original glory, the Rekha Gupta Government has renamed the Shahjahanabad Redevelopment Corporation, which was established for the conservation and redevelopment of Old Delhi, as Indraprastha Virasat Punarvikas Nigam (IVPN).

Old Delhi covers approximately 7.12 square kilometres. The historic city, which is more than 350 years old, is home to one World Heritage Site, 10 nationally protected monuments, 10 state-protected monuments and more than 700 locally protected heritage sites.

Chairing the annual general meeting of the IVPN on Thursday, she directed officials to expedite the redevelopment of Chandni Chowk, improve parking facilities and build public toilets to enhance public convenience.

“Development of Old Delhi should not remain confined to physical infrastructure alone. Instead, heritage conservation, tourism promotion, economic activity, civic amenities, and environmental balance should all be pursued through an integrated approach,” Rekha Gupta said.  With this objective, the IVPN will undertake heritage conservation alongside modern urban development, she said.

“The initiative will include conservation of historic buildings, modernisation of infrastructure, solid waste management, traffic management, expansion of tourism facilities and other related aspects,” she said.

The chief minister directed officials to ensure that the market’s design reflects its historical identity, traditional character, and cultural significance.

“Keeping in view the movement of lakhs of people through the area every day, modern and functional public toilet blocks should be developed, and civic amenities should be further strengthened,” she added.

Reviewing the redevelopment of the Town Hall in the area, the chief minister directed that an additional entry and exit from the Chandni Chowk side be created to help the building emerge as a major heritage and tourist attraction.

Further, the IVPN has also been tasked with preparing a detailed blueprint for the comprehensive development of the Hanuman Temple at Yamuna Bazaar and the area behind it as part of the larger redevelopment project.

She also directed the preparation of a comprehensive redevelopment and beautification plan for the Jama Masjid area and Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Marg in front of the Old Delhi Railway Station.

The Chief Minister said that through the corporation, a comprehensive and serious initiative has begun to preserve Old Delhi’s historical identity while equipping it with modern civic amenities.

The annual general meeting of Indraprastha Virasat Punarvikas Nigam, attended by Urban Development Minister and Vice Chairman of the corporation Ashish Sood, Managing Director Sandeep Kumar and senior officials from the concerned departments,

Several key decisions were taken on the holistic redevelopment of Old Delhi, heritage conservation, expansion of civic infrastructure and promotion of tourism. It was decided that the redevelopment of the historic Chandni Chowk would be accorded the highest priority.

The Chief Minister said the Chandni Chowk market had evolved alongside the area’s development and that restoring its past glory would require keeping the interests of its markets, traders and shopkeepers at the forefront.

Keeping the convenience of visitors in mind, the Chief Minister also directed that a dedicated control room be established in the market to provide information, guidance and prompt assistance to tourists arriving from across India and abroad.

The Chief Minister instructed officials to prepare a detailed blueprint for the integrated development of the Hanuman Temple at Yamuna Bazaar and the area behind it as part of the larger redevelopment project.

Ashish Sood said that the redevelopment of Chandni Chowk and its surrounding historic areas would go beyond physical infrastructure and would be undertaken with full sensitivity towards preserving their historical, cultural and architectural heritage.

“To achieve this, it was decided that historians, heritage conservation experts, architectural specialists and other domain experts would be involved in the planning and implementation of the redevelopment projects,” he added.