Shahjahanabad redevelopment body to be reconstituted: Rekha

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Wednesday announced that the government would soon reconstitute the Shahjahanabad Redevelopment Corporation (SRDC) as part of a major push to revive and redevelop Old Delhi.

Chairing a high-level meeting at the Delhi Secretariat, she said a comprehensive plan was being prepared to restore the heritage of the Walled City, while improving civic amenities for residents and traders.

The meeting was attended by Chandni Chowk MP Praveen Khandelwal, Urban Development Minister Ashish Sood and senior officials from the SRDC, PWD, MCD and police. Participants unanimously agreed that the Walled City required urgent interventions, citing years of administrative neglect and worsening challenges in the historic Chandni Chowk market.

MP Khandelwal said the SRDC had become ‘inactive’ under the previous government and recommended that it be restructured with the inclusion of heritage experts and historians. He also suggested renaming the corporation to reflect its renewed mandate.

Minister Sood stressed the need for agencies specialising in heritage conservation to guide the redevelopment work. He said commercial activity within heritage structures must be restricted and new construction halted to preserve the original streetscape of Old Delhi.

Emphasising the government’s commitment to restoring the area’s cultural identity, the CM said that multiple agencies exercising authority over Chandni Chowk had delayed development for years. She said the reconstituted SRDC would serve as the central body to implement revitalisation projects and ensure coordinated execution.

Gupta also directed departments to expedite improvement works in Chandni Chowk, which attracted a large daily footfall for shopping and tourism. Noting the shortage of women’s toilet facilities, she instructed the officials concerned to immediately construct additional Pink Toilets in the market.