In a big move to boost the local economy at a time when the country is crawling back from the coronavirus pandemic-induced slowdown, the Delhi Government on Monday announced the redevelopment of five prominent markets in the national Capital – Lajpat Nagar, Kamla Nagar, Sarojini Nagar, Khari Baoli and Kirti Nagar. All these markets are located at strategic locations in Delhi and draw lakhs of visitors on a daily basis.
In a virtual address on Monday, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced that the Delhi Government has finalised the names of five markets to be redeveloped in the first phase and the Government will make them world-class.
This is in accordance with the announcement in the 'Rozgar Budget' to create more job avenues. "We have finalised the names of five markets to be redeveloped in the first phase. We have also listed out their USPs," the Chief Minister said.
The move will not only amp up struggling businesses, but also generate lakhs of jobs in the country as it battles a high unemployment rate.
The Kamla Nagar market is popular as a youth hangout zone, while Khari Baoli is famous for top quality spices and traditional products from the Mughal era.
The Lajpat Nagar market is known as a high-end street fashion hub and a one-stop destination for wedding planners. The Sarojini Nagar market is famous for its street fashion collections, while the Kirti Nagar market is a popular destination for furniture and house decor.
Kejriwal said the five markets will be redeveloped with world-class designs. The Delhi Government will now hold a design competition and invite ideas from architects as well as the public. The schedule for the competition is likely to be announced in a couple of weeks, with the competition expected within the next six weeks.
"The next step would be a design competition in which the country's best designers and architects will participate. We will announce this design competition in the next six weeks.
These markets will be redeveloped on the basis of best designs from the competition," Kejriwal said. Other major markets in the Capital will be taken up for redevelopment in the next phase.
The traders' associations of five markets in Delhi, which have been chosen for redevelopment, welcomed the announcement by the AAP Government, saying it was a long-pending demand and will help in improving their businesses. Traders expressed the hope that the beautification of the markets will start soon so that customers, as well as businessmen, can reap the benefit of it. A representative of the Sarojini Nagar market said the market is in dire need of a revamp as it has seen no repair works for many years.
"We are thankful to the Delhi Government. Our market was in dire need of repair work. The tiles are broken and electrical fittings are in a disarray. Most importantly, toilet facilities are lacking," said Ashok Randhawa, the president of the Sarojini Nagar Mini Market Traders' Association.
The Kamla Nagar Market Association hoped that revamping work will begin soon. "This is the first time any Government has thought about the wishes of the traders.
The Kamla Nagar market is an old bazaar and has remained unchanged since 1950. We hope that the work to rejuvenate the market will begin and it will look like foreign markets," the association said.
Ashwani Marwah, the general secretary of the Traders Association in Lajpat Nagar said the beautification will help in improving the situation of the market. "We are just happy that we are considered as one of the important markets of the city. We are thankful to the Delhi Government for selecting our market for phase one development," he said.
Meanwhile, Sushil Goel, the former president of the Chemical Merchants' Association, has also welcomed the announcement.
