Purani Dilli: Come November and history is going to rewind at Chandni Chowk

Delhi's Chandni Chowk area is getting a facelift as the iconic place revamped, the refurbished look is set to open for public by November this year. The make-over work at Chandni Chowk began in December 2018 and is set to be completed by November 2020, said Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who reviewed the ongoing work on Thursday.  

• The revamped, refurbished area of Chandni Chowk will open to the public from the first week of November. 
• The make-over work has been done on a 1.3 km stretch between Red Fort and Fatehpuri Masjid.
• Beautification work is being done keeping the Mughal-era architectural style in mind.  
• As part of the revamp, one of the key features is moving electricity wires underground.  
• The revamped area will be non-motorised zone between 9 am - 9 pm.
• Fire hydrants, 175 Red sandstone planters, row of bollards are being placed to give it a Mughal architecture feel. 
• The refurbished area of Chandni Chowk will also have 250 Moulsari trees. 
• The place will be illuminated with LED lighting.
• Rehabilitation work of an ancient sewer line has also been done as part of the Chandni Chowk make-over project.
• Chandni Chowk will become the first locality in the national capital where only pedestrians, cycle rickshaws and e-rickshaws will ply. UTTIPEC has approved the proposal for pedestrianisation of Chandni Chowk.
• Vehicular traffic including emergency vehicles, fire tenders, ambulances, loading-off loading of goods, other vehicles will only be allowed from 9 pm to 9 am.
• Under the redevelopment plan of Chandni Chowk, there will be a 5.4-metre-wide footpath on both sides, a 5-metre wide carriage-way on both sides while area of central verge has been increased from 2 to 3.5-metre.
• Since the revamped area of Chandni Chowk will be free from vehicular traffic, a multilevel parking facility with up to 2,300 cars is being constructed at Chandni Chowk's Gandhi Maidan by the North MCD.   
• The initial deadline for the Chandni Chowk pedestrianization and beautification project was March 21, 2020 but later it was extended till May. However, due to coronavirus, Kejriwal announced that the area will be opened to the public in November.
• Makeover project of Chandni Chowk is being done at an expense of Rs 90 crore.
• "The area of Chandni Chowk is a historical place, we will restore its old glory once again. We expect that more tourists will visit this area after redevelopment," PWD minister Satyendar Jain said.
• Progress slowed down since October when the Supreme Court banned construction activities in Delhi and NCR due to the rise in the air pollution level.
• The work had come to a complete halt after the lockdown was announced due to the coronavirus pandemic.
• Delhi government’s Public Works Department (PWD) is executing the redevelopment plan of the area.
• All infrastructure projects in the national capital are approved by UTTIPEC headed by the L-G.
• Chandni Chowk is known to be one of the oldest and major markets not in Delhi but also in the country.