Chandni Chowk facelift begins ahead of UNESCO conference

The Delhi government has started an extensive cleanliness and beautification campaign across Chandni Chowk and the Red Fort area ahead of the major UNESCO conference scheduled from December 8 to 13, officials said.

Delhi is set to host over 1,000 representatives from 180 countries for the 20th session of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Acting on the directives of Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, authorities have started sanitation, repainting and civic upgrade works along the historic market stretch and adjoining localities, including Netaji Subhash Marg, the officials added.

According to the officials, the government wants to ensure that visitors stepping outside the venue experience Old Delhi’s cultural identity at its best, from heritage architecture and bustling markets to its famed cuisine, in a clean, organised and pedestrian-friendly setting.

In a recent high-level review meeting with officials of the Shahjahanabad Redevelopment Corporation, the Public Works Department and the Municipal Corporation, the Chief Minister emphasised that no lapse in preparations would be tolerated. Coordination with the Union Ministry of Culture is on to streamline arrangements across the heritage stretch.

Additional staff has been deployed across Chandni Chowk and the Red Fort zone for round-the-clock cleaning and a two-shift garbage collection system has been put in place. Officials said sprinklers are being used regularly on the Red Fort’s main road to control dust and enhance visual appeal.

The government is intensifying action against encroachments and unauthorised street vendors to improve pedestrian movement and traffic flow. Rickshaws operating without permits are being removed from no-entry stretches, the officials added.