New Delhi, Mar 16 (PTI) Having a marble-made Mughal-style ‘baradari’ as its centrepiece, the new ‘Heritage Park’ near the iconic Jama Masjid which has been developed using rich stocks of flowers and having structures built with traditional craftsmanship, will soon become a major tourist attraction, former Union minister Vijay Goel said on Wednesday.
The park, the first phase of which has been completed, spanning an area of about 1.75 acres, is slated to be inaugurated by President Ram Nath Kovind on March 20.
“This park has been developed in an area that earlier had filth, encroachments, and a place that was also used by anti-social elements. Now, it has been transformed into a beautiful, vibrant recreational space that celebrates the heritage of Delhi,” Goel told reporters during a preview of the park.
“If you want to see, what this looked like earlier, go to the other side of the boundary wall which has been earmarked for the second phase, towards the Jama Masjid side, and you will be able to appreciate the transformation. Once the second phase gets ready, the glory of this park will be further enhanced. It will soon become a major tourist attraction in Delhi,” he said.
In the first phase, an area of about 1.75 acres has been developed with an estimated cost of Rs 7.65 crore. In the second phase, the remaining 2.25 acres is to be developed with an estimated cost of Rs 10.03 crore. For the first phase, the North Delhi Municipal Corporation arranged for Rs 4.70 crore from its resources, officials said.
The second phase also envisages reviving the old water stream (referred to as ‘nahar’ by locals) that existed in a stretch located adjacent to the current boundary wall of the park, officials said.
Conceived in 2017, the park which faces the Red Fort complex, has been built with civic body funds and contributions from various MPs, including Goel, a Rajya Sabha member, who has been “striving hard for the development of this ‘Heritage Park’ in the Walled City area,” officials had said on Tuesday.
The park is endowed with Mughal-style ‘chatris’, a beautiful ‘baradari’ (pavailion). made of white marble, stone railings and lamp and posts, borrowing design elements from Red Fort ramparts, ornate gates, a sunken open-air theatre, and also has toilet facilities. A food court area is also being developed, said architect Kapil Aggarwal, who designed the park.
“We are feeling very excited to showcase this ‘Heritage Park’ to the President of India on March 20, after which people would be able to enjoy it. A play by well-known theatre personality Aamir Raza Husain would also be hosted during the inauguration event for the president,” he told PTI.
The park sits in close proximity to the Mughal-era Jama Masjid and faces Red Fort, a UNESCO World Heritage site, on the other side. “We wanted visitors to feel the park was part of both, and therefore, we chose heritage elements after careful research,” he added.
A senior NDMC official said the park has “rich stocks of flowers and shrubberies, including petunia, dog flowers, marigold, carnation, poinsettia, ornamental cabbage, croton and furcaria”.
“Once we open it to public, there will be a nominal ticket fee,” he said.
Named after Charti Lal Goel, former deputy mayor of the erstwhile unified Municipal Corporation of Delhi and first Speaker of the Delhi Legislative Assembly, the heritage park is located opposite the Parade Ground Parking facility near the Red Fort.
“The road that divides the park and the parking facility leads to heritage buildings of old Delhi, so it is a heritage road itself,” said Goel, a heritage enthusiast himself, and son of Charti Lal Goel, whose marble bust has also been installed near the ornately-carved ‘baradari’.
Red sandstone, white marble, Dholpur stone, Delhi quartzite stones have been used in the park.
An amount of Rs 17.68 crore was required towards the completion of the project which has been planned in two phases, officials said.
Visitors will also get to enjoy delicious cuisine of Chandni Chowk and handicrafts of Old Delhi area at the park, they said.
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