Delhi Projects Update Thread

[IndiansUnite]

Those boards maybe temporary ones. Just see how thin that yellow one is. When I am there, I'll ask the guys at the shop about it.

Originally Posted by Indrajal.com

i like everything but the loosely hanging cables...

The cables will be removed. The second phase of the revamp involves taking all the electricity/cable wires underground.

[bhopalus]

CP renovation restores glory
30 Jun 2008, 0414 hrs IST, Ruhi Bhasin,TNN



CP has around 12 blocks and work in the others will start soon.
NEW DELHI: It's a sneak peak into what Connaught Place would have looked like when it was built in the 1930s. With CP's C-block renovation work almost complete, you just have to look at the block next to it to actually understand how one of the most important commercial hubs in the city was envisaged and what it's condition actually is.

The block, which house 39 shops, has been under renovation for a year now and is the pilot project undertaken as part of CP's redevelopment plan. The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has tried to restore the facade of the building as per the original design (made by Robert Tor Russel and W H Nicholls) after extensive research through the civic agency's archives, alongwith that of CPWD. The restoration work has cost NDMC Rs 2 crore. According to the civic agency, work began with C-block as it is the smallest block in CP.

Says Anand Tiwari, spokesperson of NDMC: "We have used granite stone for the flooring and have carried out plastering and finishing of the outer facade. You will see no wires hanging out as ducting in front and two sides of the block has been carried out. The windows have been restored to their original shape and wrought iron railings have been put up. Uniform signposts have also been put up." They still have to fix the lighting in the area.

CP has around 12 blocks and work in the other blocks will start simultaneously once restoration of the facade of C-block is complete.

Meanwhile, NDMC is still making a plan for the parking in CP. While some areas will have surface parking, underground parking will also be made where ever it is a viable option. The plan to begin restoration was mooted in 2004 and expected to be complete by July 2010. CP will also have central air-conditioning, according to officials.

While many traders are happy with the 'new look' of C-block, it hasn't gone down well with some of them. Says Vaishalik, partner, Jain Book Agency: "The extended footpaths have eaten into out parking space and some of our telephone lines have not been functional for days." Due to the tenant-landlord problems, the facade of all blocks in
CP were in a very bad condition.

Says Sadan Singh, who has been working in CP for 30 years: "I have been working in CP for years and felt sad that an area so important in terms of heritage was rotting away due to fights between tenants and landlords. The restoration of CP is important to give generations to come a glimpse of the past."

Designed by Robert Tor Russell and W H Nicholls, CP was built in 1931 and is named after the Duke of Connaught, a member of the British royal family, who visited India in 1920. Designed in a circular form, it is divided into blocks by seven radial clocks. The radius of the inner circle is about 947 ft. Though CP appears circular, close observations reveals that it is more like a horseshoe in design.

so they have to recreate all this work 12 times over? damn...

[zenith_suv]

SKY THE LIMIT FOR NEW SUB-CITY

DDA’s draft plan for P-II zone talks about a highrise sub-city, complete with leisure valley, museum, open-air theatres, etc
Ambika Pandit | TNN


Skyscrapers complete with helipads to help residents reach their workplaces in a matter of minutes, new apartments for 4.22 lakh families — from every category — in space-starved Delhi, a leisure valley, river-front boulevard, city park, museum, art galleries, open-air theaters and large stretches of greens interspersed with water bodies and much more.


Sounds too much like a dream? Well it is DDA’s dream draft plan for P-II zone, a new sub-city painted to perfection, presented at the DDA meeting chaired by lieutenant governor Tejendra Khanna recently for approval.

The plan pertains to a zone which today comprises 24 villages and 68 unauthorised colonies. For them, the zonal plan offers redevelopment. The eyesore that is the stinking Bhalswa landfill marks the periphery of this zone which as of now has large chunks of open land, making it much sought after for building a new township.

With the authority’s clearance in hand, the draft has now been put out for public feedback. Once the objections and suggestions are in, the same will be studied and incorporated in the draft and the final document will be put up before the authority for approval again. Following the final approval, the zonal plan would be notified by the ministry of urban development.


THE BACKGROUND

The NCT of Delhi is divided into 15 planning zones — A to P — except one — I — in Master Plan 2021. P zone is further divided into P-I and P-II. As per Master Plan 2021, P-II zone covers an area of 8,534 hectares and has a heterogeneous character marked by villages, unauthorised colonies and a few planned areas. This zone is located in the northern part of Delhi, bound by the Delhi-Haryana border in the north, river Yamuna in the east, Outer Ring Road to the south and NH-I in the west.

According to MPD-2021, urban extension areas are to be planned with a density of 250-300 persons per hectare. Based on the area under consideration, the proposed population would be 19 lakh, including the existing settlements.

The population projected by MPD 2021 is 230 lakh. Out of this, the holding capacity for the present zones from A-H and the three sub-cities — Dwarka, Rohini and Narela — has been estimated at 153 lakh. The remaining population will have to be accommodated in the urban extensions including P-II zone.

WAY AHEAD

At present, P-II zone looks a lot like this. The abadis of 24 villages and one census town fall in this area. The villages include Burari, Bhalswa Dairy/Jahangirpuri, Bakhtawarpur and Nathupura among others. There are a large number of farm houses as well in this zone. There are several non-conforming activities present including industries, wholesale trade godowns amd banquet halls. This zone is home to around 68 unauthorised colonies.

The plan indicates sub-division of the entire urban area under P-II zone into 13 sub-zones for the purpose of development. The sub-zone plan would be further subdivided into various residential pockets containing neighbourhood level recreational and community facilities.

About 3,235 hectares has been proposed for residential use, including about 1,100 hectares under existing settlements including villages. Rest of the residential land use is proposed for new development.

NEW HOMES

Plotted development is out and highrises are the way to go. The housing strategy for P-II zone incorporates development of new housing area as well as upgradation and redensification through redevelopment of existing housing areas including unauthorised colonies. In view of limited availability of land and increased requirement of housing, plotted residential development is being discouraged. The sub city when fully developed will provide housing facilities to over 4.22 lakh families from all income groups.

So where do the helipads come in? According to DDA, this zone is suitable for such development as it is far away from the air funnel. Three such complexes are proposed to be developed as landmark points in Delhi. There will be one each in PSP use zone, commercial use zone and residential use zone. According to designers of P-II zonal plan, these complexes of super tall buildings will be designed in such a way so that they can effectively tackle transportation and vehicular pollution in addition to releasing land for green spaces in abundance. “This will not only change the skyline of Delhi but also facilitate international investors to develop state of the art urban design projects. These complexes will also have helipad facilities which will provide direct accessibility to various cities,” officials elaborated.

RECREATION

Surveys show that the zone has a very wide green coverage in the form of orchards, forest and farmlands. Besides this, about 941 hectares of land has been proposed for recreational and green use. This is made up of district parks, city parks, community parks and roadside green. The 941 hectares also includes a recreational complex with a lake, nine hole golf course and other facilities in Bhalswa Lake Complex. A city park spread over 150 hectares is proposed for socio-cultural node, housing a museum, art galleries, library, auditorium, concert hall, open air theatre, convention hall and a music centre. The existing landfill site on the corner of NH-I and outer Ring Road junction on eastern side has been proposed for setting up a zonal level recreational area which could be developed as a millennium park to enhance the aesthetic image of the sub city. An amusement park spread over 20 hectares has been proposed in the green belt. Besides this, the zone will see the development of an international exhibition cum fair ground and science city on the lines of Pragati Maidan. The zone is located along river Yamuna and development of recreational areas, sports facilities, bio-diversity park, bird sanctuaries, boulevards form part of the riverfront development plans.

One of the major objectives of the plan is to create a sustainable physical and social environment.

DREAM PROJECT

Model for urban design | Leisure valley, river-front boulevard, specialised institute, IT complex, corridor along NH-I, city park complex.

Bhalswa Lake Complex | To be developed over 102 hectares,. Land is proposed to be developed as an integrated tourist complex along with a lake spread over 22 hectares, amusement park (12 Ha), commercial (8 Ha), recreational (46 Ha).

Green belt | To extend from the NCTD boundary up to a depth of one peripheral revenue village, wherever possible, with permissible activities.

Facility corridor | Commercial and public, semi-public uses and recreational uses to be developed along major transport networks as facility corridor along major arterial roads.

Commercial | About 282 hectares reserved for commercial use. 16 community centres, four district centres, a Delhi Agricultural Marketing Board wholesale fruit and vegetable market of 28 hectares has been proposed on NH-1, 20 hectares for wholesale trade.

Government offices | An integrated office complex covering 34 hectares has been proposed in sector-II and VI.

Industry | About 226 hectares of land has been proposed for industries. A hitech electronic industry along NH-I to provide city level specialised industry and to enhance the visual quality on NH-I entry corridor.

Source - TOI epaper on 30th June 2008

I was unsure where to put this article as It's not making it clear exactly where it' coming up and just says to the North of Delhi , if it's not the correct thread then mods please transfer this and the image to the appropriate place

[zenith_suv]

Image appearing in todays TOI edition for the proposed project mentioned in the post above

[ags19]

hi

I´m from mexico and I want to tell you that your city is awsome and have great proyects

see u

[phaedrus]

cheers!

[phaedrus]

this pic looks amazing. cant wait to go back and check the place out!
i presume IU will take a lot of pics when he is there.

[IndiansUnite]

Originally Posted by sn1101

i presume IU will take a lot of pics when he is there.

Definitely

[phaedrus]

[Mahratta]

CP Block 3 is looking sweet! Once the whole restoration is done, it will look fantastic! The CAC is just what I was talking about all this time about India's inhabited historical buildings. The same was done to Europe's - it may be expensive, but it's well worth it, and India needs to restore every heritage structure to the glory it once had

[zhiemi]

MCD to launch green drive for 2010 Games.

With a sanctioned budget of Rs 34.23 lakh, the Mu nicipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) plans to enhance the green cover of Delhi in prepa ration for the Commonwealth Games 2010. The funds have al ready been used to plant two lakh saplings, buy machinery, beau tify parks, roundabouts and re pair tubewells.

Of the two lakh saplings for the seven MCD zones, 70,000 in digenous varieties have already been been planted. “These in clude neem, jamun, peepal ashoka and a few others,” said Ved Prakash Gupta, chairman garden committee of the MCD He also added that Rs 3.62 crore will be used to refurbish parks and carry out landscaping work Other allocations will cover ir rigation, installation of 128 tube wells, 10,000 steel benches in parks and lighting. The mayor also announced that part of the funds will be used to get rid of non-religious encroachments which are rampant in many parks under MCD.

Other than parks, round abouts and the space under fly overs will be developed with the purpose of beautifying as well as keeping encroachers away.

“As many as 198 roundabouts and 44 roads which have been identified will be landscaped,” said Ved Prakash Gupta. The hor ticulture department has also bought new equipment, which includes canters, hedge trim mers, electric lawn mowers, and chainsaws.

The Welcome Lake in Shah dara, which has now become a drain, will be developed as a boat ing area, alongwith a jogging track using the MCD fund. The historical parks to be renovated include Roshanara Park, Ajmal Khan Park and Kudsia Park.

Despite the shortage of staff especially gardeners, mayor Arti Mehra declared the work will be complete in time for the Games “The new equipment, purchased for Rs 1.8 crore, will compensate for staff shortage. What one mali can do in one park, can be done by one machine in four parks,” she said. Nevertheless, it still does not answer how the current shortage of engineers, needed for park repairs, will be tackled by the civic agency.

Source: TOI

[zhiemi]

Metro to put liver institute on fast track.

Irked By PWD Delays, Delhi Govt Hands Over 2nd Phase Of Prestigious Project To DMRC.

Delhi Metro’s enviable track record of meeting its deadlines — often beating them by a few months — has made it a case study for efficiency and good work culture.

So far, it was just a model to be emulated. But Delhi government, in an effort to get out of a sticky situation on the much-delayed construction of Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences at Vasant Kunj, has decided to simply hand over the second phase of construction of the building — touted as a unique healthcare project in Asia — to Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) after a series of delays by PWD in the first phase.

Confirming the development, DMRC spokesperson Anuj Dayal said they were taking up the work as a special case. For the first time, Metro will step out of its domain and construct a building for another organisation. And for this DMRC has already procured equipment from the fire department.

Asked why the project was taken away from PWD, government officials said DMRC is quick and efficient and known for its expertise while PWD is saddled with lot of work. ‘‘It’s not a comment on PWD’s performance. The chief minister wants no compromise on the quality of the institute,’’ said an official.

The foundation stone of the institute was laid in 2003 but delays since then have taken a toll on the project. Problems of acquiring land from multiple agencies and delays by PWD have proved to be major roadblocks.

Chief minister Sheila Dikshit on Saturday reviewed the project’s progress and directed senior PWD officials to speed up the work and finish it fast. ‘‘It will be dedicated to the people of Delhi very soon,’’ she said.

This first of its kind liver institute in Asia will provide better and advanced treatment for liver and biliary ailments. ‘‘The mission of this institute is to emerge as a dedicated international centre of excellence for diagnosis, management and advanced training and research in the field of liver diseases,’’ the CM said.

According to health department officials, the first phase of construction of the institute is nearing completion. In this phase, about 180 beds will be made available, out of which 74 will be set aside for the Intensive Care Unit.

Project director Dr SK Sarin said the institute will have a separate department to promote basic and translational research in the area of Hepatobiliary Sciences. The department of Hepatobiliary Medicine would be the first dedicated department in the country and will also house Transplant Hepatology and Paediatric Hepatology as independent units.

Source: TOI

[phaedrus]

thats just funny.
if this is how it goes then soon the delhi metro will be taking care of all infrastructural projects in delhi, which wont be a bad thing to happen.

[Sumeet1981]

wow how about handing other metro projects to DMRC so that clowns in bombay and bangalore don't waste time and tax payers money.

[phaedrus]

that makes sense too

[Illusionist]

well since IU is out this whole section is pretty much deserted... i will try to fill his absence for a lil while...

new Connaught Place
after



before

source: ramesh_lalwani @ flickr

[Euromast]

[Illusionist]

nice find mate..

i hope they plan it properly with modern standards with ample multilevel parking, service depots, multiple entries and exits, separate entries and exits for other vehicles, good connecting roads and indoor waiting areas..
its better to overdo and spend more money then add things later.

btw the pic itself in the article is awesome..

[zhiemi]

Delhi cheapest city in the world for parking

Delhi is the cheapest city in the world for parking while London has earned the dubious distinction of being the costliest place for the same, a study indicated on Wednesday.

In Delhi it costs less than a Pound (Rs 86.4) to park a car per day. The monthly rate for a space in London tops the list at 586 pounds - exactly double midtown New York, according to the first global study of parking charges.

Close behind is the West End, where monthly rates for motorists are 568 pounds. Daily parking follows a similar pattern, with the City costing 34 pounds followed by Amsterdam, the West End, Moscow and The Hague.

Australia has some of the most expensive cities in the world for parking as a result of its strong economy and surging currency. Sydney is the third most expensive city on a monthly basis at 387 pounds, while Brisbane and Perth make the top 10.

Regions such as Latin America, Africa and the Middle East are relatively inexpensive but are showing signs of car park inflation which is becoming more structured. However, global financial centres dominate the list, compiled by Colliers International, a property consultancy.

"Whether to park for a day or to have access to parking any time during the month, the world's top financial centres are among the most expensive in the world," the report said.

Haha, don't know how true the study is, but is this the reason why we can't find space to park our cars? But Rs. 86 per day for parking is enough :p

[zenith_suv]

CP conservation work pits NDMC against DUAC

CP conservation work pits NDMC against DUAC
Richi Verma | TNN

New Delhi: The conservation plan for Connaught Place has hit a hurdle. According to highly-placed sources, differences have cropped up between New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) and Delhi Urban Art Commission (DUAC) over the restoration work undertaken in C Block. At a stormy meeting on Monday, DUAC member Prof Mohammad Shaheer told NDMC architects that the work was shoddy which left officials in the civic body fuming.

NDMC has been working on the block for the past few months. Sources said that DUAC members criticised the work during a site inspection on Monday. This has led to

NDMC seriously reviewing its option of pulling out of the project, saying that it was just a civic body and that it was primarily the responsibility of DUAC to get the work monitored by experts when it was carried out rather than criticise the outcome.

An NDMC spokesperson told TOI that ‘‘the C-Block restoration work was approved by the previous DUAC team headed by Charles Correa. On Monday, we had invited the new members for final clearance of the project because we want to replicate it in all the other blocks of CP. We are waiting for the minutes of the meeting that day and will take a decision accordingly.’’

Though no one was willing to come on record — Shaheer refused to comment, simply observing that the work was not upto the mark — sources said DUAC was not happy with the quality of work which it felt would mar the glory of CP.

The commission felt NDMC was using ‘‘inferior’’ material though officials claimed that it had been approved by the last commission and should therefore be honoured by the present one. ‘‘It is mandatory for the commission to accept a proposal if it has been approved by the last commission. They cannot keep reviewing it over and over again,’’ said the sources.

DUAC chief K T Ravindran was non-committal. ‘‘The minutes for the meeting will be finalised on Wednesday and only then will we be in a position to comment,’’ he said.

According to DUAC Act 1973, it is mandatory for DUAC to scrutinise, modify, inspect or reject any work undertaken in the CP complex.

Heritage experts pointed out that the need to redevelop CP was felt in 1973 but it took 35 years for any kind of work to actually take place.

‘‘NDMC is a municipal body and not a team of conservation architects. If the restoration work of CP is not up to mark and could have been better, it’s also true that NDMC is not obliged to redevelop CP. If DUAC does not like their work, it should appoint their own experts,’’ said an expert.

Chief secretary Rakesh Mehta said that since the restoration work had been approved by the earlier DUAC team, the current team should not object.

‘‘A lot of public money is involved in this work and NDMC is working fast to complete the restoration of CP by Commonwealth Games. There has to be a collaborative agreement between NDMC and DUAC.’’

Sources in the Central Government said Delhi’s preparations for Commonwealth Games had started very late.

‘‘But a city built over several centuries and with the potential for getting the world heritage tag can’t be messed with for an event that will last for a few days,’’ said a source.