Town Hall to be made into a heritage site

As per the project, the Town Hall will showcase all the cultural aspects of Delhi including cuisine, architect and music. The North MCD, about three years back, had proposed the move and now after a high-level meeting, Chief Secretary K K Sharma has reportedly directed the Shahjahanabad Redevelopment Corporation (SRDC) to proceed further with the project after getting an approval from the competent authority.

Sources said that when the Delhi government official asked the representatives of the Delhi Tourism what progress had been made in the re-development plan, he was informed that the Municipal body had simply got a report prepared from INTACH for the said project. Soon after the Chief Secretary said that the project has to be taken up on a priority, the SRDC MD told him that the heritage site could be conveniently integrated with the present projects being undertaken by the SRDC. The Chief Secretary directed the SRDC to act as a nodal agency for the entire project advising to visit sites and museums which have been developed out of heritage sites. He also suggested the officials to visit Virasat-e-Khalsa in Punjab where a similar revitalisation project had been undertaken.

The Chief Secretary directed the SRDC to appoint a qualified heritage conservationist consultant of international repute for preparation of the detailed project report. For this purpose, he said a global tender could also be floated so that the site can be developed into a world-class museum depicting the history of Shahjahanabad, a Mughal Capital City. Keeping in view the location of Town Hall, the CS said efficient and modern traffic management was very vital for the success of the instant revitalisation of the project. He said traffic movement plan around the site should be accordingly prepared by an expert in consultation with the Delhi Police and other stakeholders. He also said that underground parking with the parks or play area on ground surface within the vicinity should be 

considered as a solution for parking vehicles.

Town Hall, which is a landmark building in Old Delhi, was the seat of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi from 1866 during the British Raj till late 2009, when offices shifted to the new MCD Civic Centre on Minto Road in Central Delhi formally inaugurated in 2010. The construction of the building started in 1860 and was completed in 1863. It is constructed out of yellow painted brick and stone and carved white stone trim. Declared as a Heritage Building by the Urban Development Department of the Delhi government, Town Hall was initially known as Lawrence Institute of Higher Studies before it was bought by the municipality for $2,000 in 1866. 

Besides government offices, the building also had a library and a European Club. Originally a bronze statue of Queen Victoria stood in front of the hall. After independence in 1947, it was replaced with a statue of the Arya Samaj leader Swami Shraddhanand. The original statue now stands in Delhi College of Art premises. The location is officially termed Ghantaghar after a clock tower that stood there.