Chandni Chowk maintenance work resumes after private firm assured of pending dues

The maintenance work on the Chandni Chowk stretch between Red Fort and Fatehpuri mosque resumed on Tuesday after the private firm hired by the Public Works Department (PWD) received assurances of clearing pending dues.

A government spokesperson said that the PWD minister Atishi has directed the officials to ensure that dues are cleared, and work is completed.

In a letter dated October 13, the contractor wrote to PWD saying that there is an outstanding payment of ₹5.5 crore, and it shall suspend services from October 16 till further direction.

The letter added that clear directions should be issued for closure or extension of its contract.

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The company had suspended the sweeping, cleaning, washing and maintenance of four public toilet complexes during the intervening night of Sunday and Monday.

The contractor has not been paid its dues since April, the company had stated.

RJ Singh, a senior official with the contractor said that additional manpower has been deployed on Tuesday to clear the garbage heaps and clean the entire road.

“We have been assured by the PWD that the pending dues will be cleared, and the contract will be extended for one more month,” he added.

Sanjay Bhargava, who heads the Chandni Chowk Sarv Vyapar Mandal, said that the cleaning of the market has started but the issue over the cleaning jurisdiction must be settled for long term and not just one month.

“The authorities also need to work on the issue of encroachment and unregulated number of rickshaws on the redeveloped stretch,” he added.

In September 2021, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal had inaugurated a revamped road between the Red Fort and Old Delhi’s Fatehpuri Masjid — a 1.4km stretch for pedestrians — as part of the first phase of Chandni Chowk’s redevelopment.

The landscaping of the 17th-century market was done, and CCTVs installed to ensure the safety of visitors, and the stretch was declared a “no-traffic zone” for motorised vehicles between 9am and 9pm to make the market pedestrian-friendly.

Under the second phase of the redevelopment project, the government aims to revive and beautify the historical architectural character of buildings in the Chandni Chowk area, but the project is still in the planning stage.