Act to solve Chandni Chowk issues, Delhi BJP writes to mayor

New Delhi: Delhi BJP has joined traders in addressing concerns about deteriorating sanitation conditions and encroachment on the main road of Chandni Chowk. In a letter to mayor Raja Iqbal Singh, Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor provided a detailed, point-by-point account of various issues, including problems caused by proliferating rickshaws, inconsistent waste collection and unregulated encroachment.

Kapoor claimed that the Chandni Chowk beautification project, costing nearly Rs 99 crore, failed due to the previous Delhi govt's flawed planning. "A beautification project was initiated under Shahjahanabad Redevelopment Corporation on a 1.3km stretch. AAP in Delhi govt divided the responsibility of upkeep of this place between PWD and MCD without allocating any maintenance budget," he said.

MCD was given three tasks—rickshaw regulation, pink toilet construction and prevention of encroachments, and in 2024, it was handed the job of cleaning the main market, Kapoor added. "Not only were all four tasks poorly handled, but a new issue emerged in the past year—unauthorised food shops and stalls," he claimed. AAP didn't comment on the charges.

The mayor said MCD planned frequent visits to the market to understand the issues. "We will accordingly decide on actions to intensify sanitation and carry out an anti-encroachment drive. A call will also be taken on regulating the parking of rickshaws and resolving other issues," he said.

The revamped Chandni Chowk was declared a no-motor zone, with only 350 registered rickshaws allowed to ply. "Today, the area has become a hub for illegal rickshaws, with two-wheelers and e-rickshaws operating freely. MCD has barely conducted any rickshaw removal drive in the recent past," alleged Kapoor, who is also a general secretary of Chandni Chowk Nagrik Manch.

"In the past three years, not even one pink toilet was built by MCD. Encroachments have peaked along the footpaths from Red Fort to Fatehpuri Mosque and on roads surrounding Chandni Chowk. Sanitation is in a dismal state, with garbage piles visible across the area—yet local councillors seem unconcerned," he wrote in the letter, which was also sent to CM Rekha Gupta, Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva and Chandni Chowk MP Praveen Khandelwal.