One of Delhi’s and even India’s most iconic markets, Chandni Chowk is going through a complete makeover, and the before and after pictures have gone viral. Read on to know more. By Amitha Ameen
What a transformation!Difficult to believe that Delhi’s Chandni Chowk looks like this now..entire wide road for pedestrians only!!#chandnichowk pic.twitter.com/RWFl3JRb3D
— M.S.Bhatia,IPS (@MSBhatiaIPS) July 26, 2020
Ask anyone who lives in Delhi and they will all unanimously tell you that Old Delhi’s Chandni Chowk, one of the most popular and oldest markets in Asia, is the best place to head to for those who love shopping, eating and exploring intricate lanes of a city.
The market has anything and everything one can think of and visitors usually brace themselves to successfully navigate through the usually busy and chaotic market lanes. But recently the market has been undergoing an extensive renovation that began in December 2018, and that will end on November 20, 2020.
I just remember it as a place of rush and crowd,people hitting each other (unintentionally)to make their way and population density at its most…
Now this is something really unbelievable but anyways,it looks beautiful & organised.#chandnichowk pic.twitter.com/oVAfxBctVC— Ramya Singh (@RamyaSingh17) July 26, 2020
The recent pictures of the market show the once busy roads have now been replaced with pedestrian paths devoid of the usual hustle and bustle of private and commercial vehicles, rickshaws and cycles. The entire stretch from the Red Fort signal intersection to the Fatehpuri Masjid will be a 1.3-kilometre car-free zone between 09:00 am to 09:00 pm. Post-renovation, the revamped Chandi Chowk will become the first region in Delhi that will be restricted only for pedestrians, cycle rickshaws and e-rickshaws.
Some of the other upgrades people can expect to see are 250 Moulsari trees, 175 red sandstone planters, shifting of electricity wires underground, LED lighting, and a multi-level parking facility that can accommodate 2,300 cars.
The makeover project cost around INR 90 crores and the renovation photos have left locals and outsiders alike, stunned by the massive and much-needed facelift, leading to the photos going viral on social media.
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