Town Hall in its new avatar to be a memorial to Pt Deen Dayal

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, January 13

Union Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma today asked the department concerned to prepare a plan for developing Town Hall as a memorial to Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay.

He gave this direction after a tour of Chandni Chowk parliamentary constituency along with Science and Technology Minister Harsh Vardhan who represented the constituency in Parliament.

The Union Ministers started their tour from the Red Fort through Gauri Shankar Mandir, Shahi Masjid Fatehpuri, Hardyal Library, Town Hall, Kudaisia Garden, Roshanara Bagh and Nani lake in Model Town.

Vardhan asked the Tourism Minister to develop the Town Hall, lying unused, as a memorial to Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay -- a person who wanted welfare of all sections of society and conceived the philosophy of 'Integral Humanism'.

The Town Hall was earlier used headquarters of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi.

Asking officials of his ministry to prepare a plan to develop Town Hall as a memorial, the Union Tourism Minister also wished to development plans for Kudesia Garden and Roshanara Bagh, with spaces like cafeteria, playgrounds (including a cricket pitch), separate utilities area for women with various facilities, modern benches, dustbins and garbage recycling system, etc.

The estimated cost for both these plans is estimated at around Rs 10 crore and Rs 4 crore respectively.

He also instructed officials to prepare development plans for Naini Lake in Model Town with boating, laser lights, etc.

The Science and Technology Minister said he had made efforts for re-development of Shahjahanabad and historic Jama Masjid, but the Aam Aadmi Party  government had not taken any interest.