CHANDNI CHOWK: MCD Hires Consultant To Chart Plan For ConservationNEW DELHI: Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has hired a private sector consultant for a structural study of the Town Hall in Chandni Chowk for a fresh conservation and restoration effort. The consultant has three months to study the structure, completed in 1863. The work on this, which will lead to a report and recommendation, is expected to start on Monday.
“Besides specifying the cost of the conservation, the consultant will also suggest adaptive reuse of the Town Hall. The project will cost Rs 8.5 lakh. Whitewash and basic repairs were done before the G20 Summit, but the complex needs attention. The plaster on the ceiling is damaged in several places, such as the main hall. Entry is restricted to certain areas, including a portion of the porch where the ceiling collapsed recently,” an MCD official said.“The consultant will suggest the work that needs to be done. MCD will decide on the structure’s revamp. As of now, there is no plan to set up a museum on the history of this place,” the official added. The structure is a Grade A heritage building. In 2023, MCD formed a heritage cell tasked with preparing an estimate for bringing the building back to its original condition. MCD, at one point, took the help of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture and the IGNCA for starting a municipal museum in the Old Press Building and for restoring century-old documents and souvenirs. The building is located across road and work is in progress on converting it into museum. A tender is expected to be called soon.In 2022, the ministry of culture showed interest in taking over the site on a 33-year lease to develop it into a museum with a library, research centre, and a restaurant. In 2018, the erstwhile North Corporation had approved a proposal to start a heritage hotel in the building. The corporation even invited expressions of interest from hotel operators. Tenders were issued in mid-June 2021, but no response came despite repeated tenders till Oct 2021, the official said.The total area of the Town Hall is 13,735 square metres. There are three buildings with two floors in each. The site of the building was once a caravanserai of Jahanara Begum. The first meeting of the members of the municipality was held on June 1, 1863. The building has seen several notable public figures walk in, such as Queen Elizabeth II , Rajendra Prasad, the first President of India and Dalai Lama.
