Zoom News : Sep 13, 2021, 07:54 AM
New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday inaugurated the redeveloped Chandni Chowk market, which went through several delays owing to the Covid-19 pandemic. “Today Delhiites are coming to see how beautiful Chandni Chowk has become," said Kejriwal addressing a gathering.Earlier the project was to be inaugurated on April 17 this year but was cancelled due to the second wave of the virus.Kejriwal also said that after the redevelopment, Chandni Chowk has become more beautiful and people come here to walk till midnight."It has already become an important tourist place. I came to know that people come here to roam till 12 am. Street food joints will be allowed to open for 3-4 more hours till 12 am so that people can come here in the night and enjoy. Lots of street food joints will be opened after closure of the market," Kejriwal announced.In the redevelopment project, the 1.3-km-long stretch in Chandni Chowk between the Red Fort and the Fatehpuri Masjid crossing has been improved and beautified. Now, there are underground electric wires, traffic fixed and CCTVs installed.The stretch has been developed as a pedestrian friendly corridor and made aesthetically appealing with the help of red granite stone, decorative lights, plants and street furniture etc.The stretch has been made a “no-traffic zone" for motorised vehicles between 9 am and 9 pm.According to PWD officials, the project was approved in August 2018 and work on it began in December 2018.It was to be completed in March 2020 but the project got delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic and its deadline was further pushed to December 2020.The project got delayed further and was set for inauguration in April this year but the event was cancelled due to surge in COVID-19 cases.“Other than a few finishing touches, toilet complexes in the area are also to be made functional. Encroachment is another big problem in the market. I hope all this is resolved before the formal inauguration," an officail had said earlier.