Skywalk, new parking in Nehru Place facelift plan

A skywalk, an amphitheatre, automated parking, exhibition halls, recreational areas, and dedicated vending zones are part of a massive Delhi Development Authority (DDA) facelift plan for Nehru Place in south Delhi, according to senior officials connected with the project and documents accessed by Hindustan Times.

The landowning agency will in November float tenders for the renovation work of two prominent commercial hubs — Nehru Place and Bhikaji Cama Place — that will cost ₹182.59 crore and ₹87.74 crore respectively. DDA officials said that 80% of the project will be funded from the Urban Development Fund (UDF) and the remaining will be paid by DDA. The features and provisions to be added to Bhikaji Cama Place include escalators, a multilevel parking lot, additional recreational space, and toilet blocks.

“We have approved the plans and the financial component to be paid by DDA in a meeting last week. The basic plan has been prepared by our architecture department. We will float tenders for the two projects next month. After the renovation work is complete, the market will be handed over to the South Delhi Municipal Corporation,” said Tarun Kapoor, DDA vice-chairman.

Nehru Place, known as a premier market for computers and fabrics, and Bhikaji Cama Place, which has offices and shops, were once among Delhi’s principal commercial centres but have been slipping in the pecking order and slowly falling into neglect for the past two decades.

In 2016, the Union housing and urban affairs ministry had asked DDA to take up the renovation work of three markets -- Nehru Place, Bhikaji Cama and Basant Lok. The renovation work at Basant Lok is underway.

In the last few years, the area around Nehru Place has emerged as an evening entertainment hub with the opening of several restaurants and cinema halls in the Metro station complex across the road from it. Two other Metro stations in the vicinity -- Kalkaji and Nehru Enclave – have improved connectivity to the market and resulted in an increase in footfall.

Constructed in the late 1970s, the market now has badly maintained piazzas, broken staircases, poor illumination, and lacks parking spaces.

According to DDA’s facelift plan, pedestrian access will be provided to Nehru Place market from all the three Metro stations around it. DDA has also proposed the construction of a skywalk from Nehru Place metro station to its central piazza. “The skywalk will connect the concourse of the Nehru Place metro station with the market complex so that people don’t have to cross the road. ₹20 crore have been earmarked for the skywalk,” said a DDA official aware of the renovation plan who asked not to be named.

Pickup and drop-off zones will be developed along the Outer Ring Road for faster access to the market, which will also be made disabled-friendly with ramps wherever there is difference in the surface levels.

The renovated central piazza will have dedicated spaces for vendors, street furniture for shoppers, and adequate toilet facilities. Two open corridors will be partially covered using tensile fabric roof to house about 120 vendors who currently occupy the corridors, leaving little space for pedestrians.

DDA also plans to construct portable cabins and dedicated vending zones so that the shops are evenly spread out in the market. An amphitheatre with huge LED screen will be constructed to provide space for events.

The existing parking space in the market is not sufficient, said a senior DDA official. “We have planned for puzzle (automated) parking for 820 vehicles in addition to surface parking lots. We plan to develop some parking lots as green spaces, as puzzle parking will meet the parking requirement in the area,” said another senior official on condition of anonymity. The existing basement parking in the market will be turned into an exhibition space, he added.

At Bhikaji Cama, which is fast losing occupancy despite it being centrally located, the renovation plan aims to turn the market into a thriving office and entertainment space.

“The market complex is 12-foot above the road level due to which shops are not visible from the road. There is a parapet wall which further blocks the view. The plan is to install escalators to provide easy access to the main complex and demolish the parapet wall on the ground floor,” said a senior official.