Connaught Place revamp process continues
The much-awaited Delhi’s Connaught Place redevelopment project that started way back in 2008 is yet to complete. The project was conceived to be presented as the pride of Delhi during 2010 Commonwealth Games.
The project cost was estimated to be Rs 76 crore when it was initiated but after missing six deadlines, the cost has summed up to Rs 671 crore. Even after five years, the project has again missed yet another deadline of June 30.
The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has claimed that the restoration of the shopping arcade is completed. But the actual view of Connaught Place (CP) shows that it is still lying with unfinished work like dug roads, uncovered water and sewage lines, piles of debris, massive mesh of electricity wires, nonfunctional escalators, missing CCTVs and public address systems. However most of the ground work has been completed at CP.
The table below gives an idea of what are the works that have been completed so far and what are the remaining works that have to be completed:
| Completed works | Pending works |
| Surface area development- parking areas and public plaza | Subway work to be completed |
| Facade restoration | Escalators should be installed and start operations |
| Five garbage stations | Debris piled up has to be cleared |
| 20 Public Toilets | Work going on at all corners should be completed |
| Service Corridor in Middle Circle | Work related to water, electricity and sewage lines |
| Basic construction work on subways | Installation of CCTVs |
The much delayed project was first initiated in 2004 and final approval was given by Delhi Urban Art Commission in November 2008 following which the project work got started. The first deadline for the project completion was October 2010 which was then pushed to 2011, then to March 2012 and was further extended to December 2012. After all these, in February 2013, the Council had set yet another deadline for June 30, which has also been crossed.
Chief minister of Delhi, Sheila Dikshit, has been closely monitoring the CP redevelopment since the project was started. While the redevelopment project was failing to meet deadlines continuously, she blamed the contractor Engineers India Limited (EIL) for the prolonged delay.
EIL officials alleged about the difficulties they faced in carrying out the work that includes encroachment by shop owners, delayed clearances from different government agencies, unauthorized construction, unchartered utilities, and other challenges they had to face during the project construction.
In the beginning of 2012, a monitoring committee was also formed with chief secretary P K Tripathi as chairman to speed up the completion of the project. But delayed clearances followed by improper planning left Connaught Place in a mess.
EIL officials said that the redevelopment work will be completed shortly but handing over of the tunnel to NDMC would take some time.
The CM has directed EIL and NDMC to ensure that all finishing touches should be done with proper care. The sheen of the redeveloped Connaught Place mainly depends upon the finishing work and any failure in this will harm the beauty of the place.
The government should outsource an agency to maintain the cleanliness, horticulture and parking space in CP, so that the area retains its facelift, suggested Atul Bhargava, president of New Delhi Traders Association.
After a long wait, CP is slowly resuming its original glory. Several changes can be observed in Connaught Place, which is currently the fifth most expensive office market in the world. The place now has a better organized parking facility, similar windows, uniform white paint, proper signage, standardized lighting in the corridors, new flooring and many more adding beauty.
Strangely, even though many deadlines were missed which manifolded the project cost, the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has not imposed any penalty on the contractors hired for the revamp project. If the Council sues the errant contractors for the delay based on a penalty clause mentioned in the work agreement, it can receive nearly Rs 40 crore but it does not seem to follow this route. NDMC chief engineer Anant Kumar said that, the authorities should verify the reasons for the delay before levying penalty. As completion of work is the first priority the penalty factor can be discussed later, he added.
