Chandni Chowk to be vehicle-free from 9am-9pm, says CM Kejriwal

New Delhi: Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday visited the Chandni Chowk area to review the redevelopment and beautification work for the area which is now set to reopen in November. The redevelopment work which had started in 2019 will be completed by October end, said the CM.

Kejriwal said that the historical glory of the Chandni Chowk area in Old Delhi will be brought back after the completion of the redevelopment and beautification plan. He also said that the area will operate as a non-motorised vehicle street from 9 am to 9 pm. At an estimated cost of Rs 90 crore, the redevelopment project will revamp the path from Red Fort to Fatehpuri Masjid, the CM said in a statement.

The CM said, "Chandni Chowk is a historical place and it has been there for ages. We hope that the area will be a popular tourist attraction and gain many tourists from across the country and the globe. We are hoping that the place will be opened by the first week of November, it was supposed to start in May but the process was delayed due to Corona."

The project is moving at a slow pace since October when the Supreme Court banned construction activities in Delhi and NCR due to the rise in the air pollution level. The work had come to a complete halt after the lockdown was announced due to the coronavirus pandemic. Construction work resumed in May but the scarcity of workers, who had returned to their native places, meant it couldn't pick up the required speed, officials said. A section of traders is also protesting against the decision to make it a non-motorized area.