NDMC prepares to redevelop Khan Market

NEW DELHI: After Connaught Place and Palika Bazaar, New Delhi Municipal Council has turned its attention to Gole Market, INA-Dilli Haat, Khan Market and Sarojini Nagar Market in the new financial year. Presenting the budget for financial year 2014-15, NDMC chairman Jalaj Srivastava said there is an urgent need to decongest these markets and redevelopment plans are on anvil.


As per the initial plan, the civic agency will construct an underground car corridor around these markets to address the growing parking requirement. The markets will have common air-conditioning units, uniform facade and more space for pedestrians. While work on Khan Market redevelopment plan will start soon, the civic agency will hire consultants to prepare a redevelopment plan for three markets.

"These markets have high footfall. But the parking space is inadequate. Now, we have to upgrade the infrastructure to meet the growing needs of the areas. The underground car corridors will provide a solution to the parking problem. We will identify parking sites in and around these markets and connect them through the car corridors," said Srivastava.

While it is planning new projects to address the parking problem, the civic agency admits that the two multi-storeyed automated parking lots in Sarojini Nagar and Baba Kharak Singh Marg have not been "complete success stories". "We need to encourage people to use these parking lots. It is not a complete success as people prefer surface level parking," said Srivastava.

For long, traders have been demanding that the civic agency start a feeder service between the parking lot and Connaught Place. But the civic agency has no immediate plan to start feeder bus service.

To improve sanitation in NDMC areas, the civic agency will start a door-to-door waste collection facility. "We will construct state-of-the-art transfer stations so that waste is dumped here first. It will be transported to the landfill site during night time. We plan to do away with dhalaos. Existing dhalaos in the area will be converted into public toilets," said Srivastava.

Officials say the main focus in the next financial year will be on augmenting existing services ranging from water and power to sanitation. It has allocated close to Rs 1,600 crore just for redevelopment and upgrade of existing amenities. The civic agency is also set to implement its round-the-clock water supply scheme. The Rs 153-crore project has been approved by the Council and work will start shortly.