With Mughal-style 'baradari' and flowers, new 'heritage park' all set for opening

Endowed with a Mughal-style 'baradari' and rich stocks of flowers, a new heritage-themed park near Jama Masjid in old Delhi is all set to be inaugurated by President Ram Nath Kovind on Sunday evening.

In the first phase, an area of about 1.75 acres has been developed at an estimated cost of Rs 7.65 crore, civic officials said. The plot, which was earlier covered in filth, encroached from multiple sides and often used by anti-social elements, after months of hard labour and meticulous planning has been transformed into a beautiful park, they said.

Conceived in 2017, the park has been built with North Delhi Municipal Corporation's funds and contributions from various MPs cutting across party lines and former Union minister Vijay Goel, officials had earlier said.

It has been developed using rich stocks of flowers and has structures built with traditional craftsmanship.

A white marble-made 'baradari' (pavilion) with cusped arches is the centrepiece of this garden while red sandstone, white marble, Dholpur stone, and Delhi quartzite stones have been used in the construction.

In the second phase of this urban renewal project, the remaining 2.25 acres is to be developed at an estimated cost of Rs 10.03 crore. For the first phase, the NDMC had arranged 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 on a stretch located adjacent to the current boundary wall of the park, they said.

The park is also endowed with Mughal-style 'chatris', stone railings and lamp posts, borrowing design elements from the Red Fort's 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 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 17th century 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 the sites and therefore, we chose heritage elements after careful research, so that new structures would complement the existing heritage fabric of the region,'' he added.

The part, which is to be developed under the second phase, is now slowly being barricaded, and civic officials said, work has begun to reclaim the neighbouring plot fully for the park project.

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.

Visitors will also get to enjoy delicious cuisine of Chandni Chowk and handicrafts of Old Delhi at the park, officials said. The park, located opposite the Parade Ground parking facility, was originally named 'Heritage Park'. The name of Charti Lal Goel, former deputy mayor of the erstwhile unified Municipal Corporation of Delhi and first Speaker of the Delhi Legislative Assembly, was later prefixed to it, officials said.

A white marble bust of Charti Lal Goel, father of Vijay Goel, has also been installed near the ornately-carved 'baradari'. An amount of Rs 17.68 crore was required towards the completion of the project which has been planned in two phases, officials said.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)