Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will inaugurate the redeveloped Chandni Chowk on Sunday evening.
Initially scheduled to be dedicated to the people by August 15, a government source said the programme got “slightly delayed” due to heavy rainfall which the city has witnessed this monsoon.
According to a senior government official, Mr. Kejriwal, Public Works Department (PWD) Minister Satyendar Jain, Ballimaran MLA Imran Hussain and Chandni Chowk MLA Prahlad Singh Sawhney will be part of the ceremony, which is scheduled for 4 p.m.
In the coming days, an agency will be appointed to provide last-mile connectivity on the 1.3-km-long stretch through vintage golf carts.
A design for new model cycle rickshaws for the same purpose, designed by IIT-Delhi, and installation of CCTV cameras will also be finalised. At a meeting of the Shahjahanabad Redevelopment Corporation in June, directions were issued to ensure that as many as 107 cycle rickshaws, which will be allowed to ply on the pedestrianised stretch soon, be on the road by September 30.
These rickshaws are being refurbished in accordance with a better and more user-friendly design in addition to being RFID-enabled according to one of the two models presented by IIT-Delhi. The final design will be operational by the end of September.
The stretch between Red Fort and Fatehpuri Masjid is a vehicle-free zone — no vehicles are allowed between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. — though non-motorised vehicles are allowed. The width of the road carriageway on the stretch is 5.5 metres; for non-motorised vehicles, a 5 to 10-metre wide pavement has been built on either side of the road. There is also a 2.5-metre footpath on either side of the road.
Only manual rickshaws are to be allowed on the redeveloped stretch which will be marked, regularised, colour-coded and their operators will be given badges so that unauthorised rickshaws cannot enter the area. According to a source, construction of a toilet as well as a fire tank on the pedestrianised stretch are to be completed by September 15 and September 30, respectively.
Ajay Bhardwaj, general secretary, Chandni Chowk district BJP, said local residents and the BJP would stage a silent protest prior to the inauguration. According to Mr. Bhardwaj, both residents as well as traders were facing issues because of waterlogging due to the alleged design flaws in the project for which they would seek a reply from the Chief Minister through their protest.
