DDA Launches New Redevelopment Drive for Nehru Place Market with Focus on Artistic Uplift
Delhi Development Authority (DDA) is embarking on a comprehensive redevelopment initiative for Nehru Place District Centre, one of the capital’s oldest and busiest commercial hubs. The project aims to reimagine the area’s civic infrastructure, public spaces, and pedestrian environment, with a particular focus on artistic enhancement. This renewed effort seeks to address long-standing issues of poor maintenance, encroachments, and inadequate public amenities that have plagued the market despite previous revamp attempts.
The DDA has invited artists to submit proposals for incorporating handicraft and hand painting on walls, allocating ₹15 lakh for this artistic upgrade, which is expected to be completed within 45 days. Officials believe this beautification effort will contribute to better general upkeep, maintenance, and sanitation, making the commercial space more vibrant and welcoming for the thousands of daily customers exploring the area on foot.
Developed in the 1980s, Nehru Place evolved into a major IT hardware and electronics market. While DDA undertook a redevelopment in 2022, adding new public toilets, multi-level parking systems, signages, and pedestrian-friendly zones, traders like Inder Kohli of the Nehru Place Market Association lament persistent challenges. They cite issues such as waterlogging, choked sewage systems, and insufficient daily sanitation, calling the 2022 effort “half-hearted.”
Traders also highlight ongoing concerns including encroachment of public passages, proliferation of unauthorized hawkers, illegal use of gas cylinders, rampant tobacco spitting, and missing dustbins. This new DDA initiative, with its artistic focus, is intended to complement previous efforts, fostering a more lively and well-maintained environment, crucial for Delhi’s prominent commercial district.
