'Heritage park' near Red Fort to be opened by Prez on March 20

New Delhi: Endowed with Mughal-style 'chatris', pavilions and stonework, a new heritage-themed park near the iconic Red Fort is slated to be inaugurated by President Ram Nath Kovind on March 20, officials said on Tuesday.

Conceived in 2017, the park which is also is in the vicinity of Jama Masjid, has been built with civic body funds and contributions from various MPs, including Rajya Sabha member Vijay Goel, who has been "striving hard for the development of this 'Heritage Park' in the Walled City area," they said.

It will be inaugurated by President Ram Nath Kovind on March 20 evening, after which, the park will be opened to the general public, a senior official of the North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) said.

The civic body on Tuesday also issued a statement about the slated programme.

Named after Charti Lal Goel, former deputy mayor of the erstwhile unified Municipal Corporation of Delhi and first Speaker of the Delhi Legislative Assembly, the heritage park is spread across about 8,650 sqm opposite the Parade Ground Parking near the Red Fort.

It has a beautiful boundary wall endowed with rich carving on red stone, Delhi quartzite stone and aesthetic iron grills.

The NDMC had "passed a resolution" for naming the new 'Heritage Park' after Charti Lal Goel, the official said.

Vijay Goel, himself a heritage enthusiast, is his son.

The park has structures built of red stone and white marble, walkways, 'baradaris' (Mughal-style pavilions), open-air theatre, panorama and 'chhatris', officials said.

"The park also has public amenities, such as toilets, parking lots, shopping counters, designer lampposts and focus light, and in the days to come, it will become a major attraction for tourists, as it presents a unique blend of heritage with modern amenities and natural beauty," the senior official said.

An amount of Rs 17.68 crore was required towards the completion of the project which was done in two phases.

In the first phase, an area of about 1.75 acres was developed with an estimated cost of Rs 7.65 crore. In the second phase, the remaining 2.25 acres was developed with an estimated cost of Rs 10.03 crore. For the first phase, NDMC arranged for Rs 4.70 crore from its resources, officials said. For the balance amount, Vijay Goel contributed from his MPLAD funds and other MPs, cutting across party lines, contributed to the project, including K T S Tulsi, Subramaniam Swamy, Roopa Ganguly, Swapan Dasgupta, Karan Singh, the NDMC said.