Indian Express 24.09.2009
Finally, Jama Masjid redevelopment plan cleared
On the drawing board for long, the Jama Masjid redevelopment plan is set to see light of the day soon. The proposal was cleared at the MCD Standing Committee meeting on Wednesday.
The Rs 1,200-crore plan has been waiting for approval from various civic and heritage bodies for several years. It is aimed at redeveloping and beautifying the area around the historic mosque. Among other things, MCD had initially proposed to build a 60-foot-deep “four-storey basement world heritage centre” with shops, an auditorium, art galleries and studios, a library and a three-tier parking space for at least 4,500 cars, 4,000 two-wheelers, and 60 buses.
An MCD official said the meeting passed the proposal today but the date on which work will begin is yet to be decided.
The plan was recently passed by the Delhi Urban Art Commission (DUAC) and with changes in the original plan. The civic body will have to do away with the controversial ‘heritage mall’ and another ‘dome-like structure’ that it had proposed to construct at Meena Bazar. The proposed multi-storey shopping complex along Dargah Sheikh Kallimullah will also be changed to a single-storey structure.
