NDMC promise: Chaos Place to be Connaught Place by Aug-end

Officials have assured that most dug-up areas would be covered,and piles of debris littering the place cleared by the end of this month.

FACADES: Sources said the facade restoration work in CP is nearly 90 per cent complete. While facade restoration work in G,H,K,L blocks is on,that for the M and N blocks is nearly over. Though the pace of restoration work was slow in the initial stages,it picked up over the last two months,they added. Work on some blocks,such as H Block (where the Madras Hotel is located) and B Block,took more time because the arches were very old and extra care had to be exercised while restrengthening them. It is estimated that the restoration of facades would be completed by this month.

MIDDLE CIRCLE: According to NDMC plans,the Middle Circle would have a service tunnel to accommodate pipelines for electricity,water and phone connections. The tunnel,which was not a part of the original plan for the Games,is being constructed to remove the ugly mesh of wires that dangle over shops across the area. NDMC sources said though digging was taken up across the Middle Circle,the affected areas are now being covered up. The pits are being strengthened,complete with concrete diaphragm walls and roofs,so that cars can start entering the circle in a few weeks. Concretisation has been completed in the E and F blocks,NDMC spokesperson Anand Tiwari said. “We will then start working underground just like the Delhi Metro,” he added.

SUBWAYS: Eight subways were supposed to come up in the market,making CP pedestrian-friendly again. Due to hurdles like traffic police restrictions,the NDMC was restricted to working on four subways and five existing ones. The work is now in its second phase. “Work on the subways had been divided into three phases. The first phase included digging out the places and building walls on both sides. The second phase is to cover them,and the third phase is the installation,” said Tiwari. As work would be taken up underground while the top is levelled,roads on the Outer Circe will become bigger and less prone to traffic jams,he added.

PARKING: The present parking areas in the radials and Inner Circle are also being refurbished,NDMC officials said,adding that 90 per cent progress has already been achieved. The existing parking areas had to be refurbished as they did not meet the required quality standards,they added.

“We are dealing with the aesthetics of the parking (lots). They were usually in bad shape. So we have resurfaced the road with bituminous mix. People usually do not find place to walk,so we constructed walkways for pedestrians on the parking sideways,” said a senior NDMC official.

Work in F Block has almost complete,and is being taken up on a war footing in other blocks,the official said. However,the refurbishing work doesn’t provide for expansion of the parking space in the inner circle,radials and outer circle — which can accommodate around 1,500 cars and 2000 two-wheelers.

Redeveloping delhi
Rs 600 crore
Total cost of CP redevelopment

July 2010: Initial deadline

August 2010: New deadline

Projects that won’t make it
* Centralised AC
* Eight new subways. Only three will be ready
* Underground parking. The plan was discarded after traders protested.

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