Delhi Signs MoU to Redevelop Historic Chandni Chowk Town Hall as Global Heritage Centre

Key facts

• An MoU was signed on Sunday between the Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corporation and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, in the presence of Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, to redevelop the 160-year-old Town Hall complex into a Global Heritage Centre with a museum and cultural and tourism facilities.
• The project covers the Town Hall, Press Building and Park across around 12,180 square metres in the Chandni Chowk and Shahjahanabad areas, proposing adaptive reuse while retaining the Grade-I heritage and architectural character.
• The Town Hall complex was built between 1860 and 1866 and served as the municipal corporation headquarters until the civic body shifted to the Dr SP Mukherjee Civic Centre in 2010, after which a large part of the complex remained vacant.
• Ownership of the property and heritage material, archival material, artefacts and historical records will remain with the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, and the initial MoU term is 30 years, extendable by another 30 years with mutual consent.
• The tourism department will conduct surveys, carry out a structural assessment and prepare a Detailed Project Report, with funding possibly through public investment or the public-private partnership model, and a Joint Working Group with DTTDC and MCD representatives will regularly review progress.