Connaught Place, New Delhi
Connaught Place | |
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Business district | |
Rajiv Chowk | |
New Delhi | |
Civic agency | NDMC |
Public transit | Blue Line Yellow Line At Rajiv Chowk |
Connaught Place, officially known as Rajiv Chowk, is one of the main financial, commercial and business centres in New Delhi, Delhi, India.[3] It houses the headquarters of several noted Indian firms and is a major shopping, nightlife, and tourist destination in New Delhi. As of July 2018,[update] Connaught Place was the ninth most expensive office location in the world with an annual rent of $1,650 per square metre ($153/sq ft).[4][5][6]
The main commercial area of the new city, New Delhi, occupies a place of pride in the city and are counted among the top heritage structures in New Delhi. It was developed as a showpiece of
The area today falls under the jurisdiction of New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) and is therefore allotted a high priority in term of funds for maintenance and upkeep.[7] The New Delhi Traders Association (NDTA) is the association of establishments (like retails stores, restaurants, halls, offices) in Connaught Place. NDTA also plays a major role in liaising with government bodies like NDMC in order to represent the commercial interests and maintenance issues of Connaught Place establishments.
An underground metro railway station built in the area is named Rajiv Chowk metro station.[8]
History
Prior to the construction of Connaught Place, the area was a ridge, covered with
Residents of villages including Madhoganj, Jaisingh Pura and Raja ka Bazaar were evicted to clear the area for the construction of Connaught Place and the development of its nearby areas. The villages were once situated along the historic Qutb Road, the main road connecting
Construction
Plans to have a central business district were developed as the construction of the new capital of imperial India began to take shape. Headed by W.H. Nicholls, the chief architect to the
Named after
Connaught Place's
Government plans to have
Early years
Residents gradually moved into first-floor quarters, which were almost full by 1938, but it was another decade before the plaza became the busy marketplace that it became later, as World War II started and the Independence movement reached a feverish pitch. Markets experienced dwindling sales, but post-independence business began to increase in the 1950s.[9][12][16]
Post-independence
Until the 1980s, a Phatphat Sewa, a Harley Davidson
Cinemas
Today
The area is instantly recognisable on any map of Delhi as a big circle in the middle with radial roads spreading out in all directions. Eight separate roads lead out from Connaught Places's inner circle, named Parliament Street and Radial Roads 1 through 7. Twelve different roads lead out from Connaught Circus, the outer ring. The best known of these is
Central Park
Connaught Place's central park has long been a venue for cultural events and is a popular hangout for locals. In 2005–06, it was rebuilt after the construction of the Delhi Metro station below it. That station, Rajiv Chowk, is the interchange for the Yellow and Blue lines of the Metro and one of the largest and busiest stations in the network.
Connaught Place hosts various cultural events in the central park area such as the Urdu Heritage Festival, One Billion Rising demonstrations, Delhi Government's Youth Festival, Awam Ki Awaz (Voices of People) concert and many others.[24][25][26][27]
National flag at Central Park
The first known Indian to hoist the
Delhi blasts
Two of the five terrorist blasts that occurred during the 13 September 2008 Delhi bombings were in Connaught Place.[29] Ten people were injured after police and witnesses said that the bombs went off in garbage cans in and around Connaught Place. There was also one bomb blast in nearby Central Park. Authorities also discovered two undetonated bombs in Delhi, one located at the Regal cinema complex in Connaught Place.[30] As a response, all rubbish bins were removed from the area for security reasons.
Redevelopment plans
This section needs to be updated.(June 2014) |
By the late 2020 Connaught Place had lost much of its old glory, although the charm of the market continued to attract foot traffic. As a part of its 'Return to Heritage Project', the
The redevelopment work was slated to be completed in time for the 2010 Commonwealth Games held at Delhi, but due to huge cost overruns and undue delays,[31] this deadline was not met. The Performance Audit Report prepared by Controller and Auditor General, India, on the Commonwealth Games 2010 concluded that there were "significant deficiencies in contract management, with consequent avoidable expenditure". Moreover, the mis-management and delays caused great inconvenience to shoppers and shop-owners alike, and led to a decline in trade.[32] Many store-owners complained of erratic power supplies and lost air-conditioning in their shops during the renovation work.
Work on the renovation was resumed soon after the Commonwealth Games, and was scheduled to meet the new deadline of December 2012. Till 2016 only the first phase for renovating blocks A & B has taken place. By 2020 all the six blocks of Connaught Place would be renovated and brought to their original glory.
The art project United Buddy Bears was presented in Connaught Place during the summer of 2012.
On 5 January 2017, the Union Urban Development Ministry announced a plan to convert the middle and inner circles of Connaught Place, into an exclusive pedestrian zone, starting February 2017. As a result, people driving into the area will now have to park their vehicles at designated parking slots like
Films
Over the years, Connaught Place has been location many films including sequences in (2014).
Visitor attractions
- Agrasen ki Baoli, Connaught Place
- The Imperial, New Delhi
- National Philatelic Museum, New Delhi
- Madame Tussauds Delhi
- Jantar Mantar, Delhi
Nearby areas
- Barakhamba Road and Kasturba Gandhi Marg - Major center for prominent international banks and other large corporate offices.
- Janpath and Baba Kharak Singh Marg - Major shopping area for local Indian Handicrafts with large number of small shops. The ancient Hanuman Temple is on Baba Kharag Singh Marg.
- Parliament Street - Hub for government offices. Jantar Mantar and NDMC offices are situated on this major road.
- New Delhi railway station
- Lady Hardinge Medical College
- Babar road and Bengali Market - only residential area near Connaught Place.
Picture gallery
-
Skyscrapers at Connaught Place
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The Statesman Building
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Central Park
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Shops along the innermost Connaught Circle at night in early 2006
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Typical Georgian buildings
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Agrasen ki Baoliis hidden among the high-rises of Connaught Place
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Small Mosque
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Inner circle
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On one of the spokes
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Street scene
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Connaught Place commercial area
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H block Connaught place on 21 March 2020-Effect of ban on social gathering over 5 people duringpandemic in Delhi
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New Delhi Railway Station PF-16, Ajmeri Gate Side, Connaught Place, New Delhi
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Drone view in sunset, 2023, Connaught Place, New Delhi
See also
Other commercial centres in Delhi metropolitan area:
- Janakpuri
- Nehru Place
- Rajendra Place
- Shivaji Place
- South Extension
References
- ^ a b "Official Language Act 2000" (PDF). Government of Delhi. 2 July 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 17 July 2015.
- ^ "Connaught Place Pin Code". ABP. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
- ^ a b c Brijnath, Rohit (15 September 1995). "Govt comes under fire over renaming of Connaught Place". India Today. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
- ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 15 July 2018.
- ^ "New Delhi's Connaught Place world's 9th most expensive office location with annual rent of $153 per sq ft: CBRE". The Financial Express. 11 July 2018. Retrieved 15 July 2018.
- ^ "Connaught Place Is Ranked The World's 9th Most Expensive Office Location". News18. 14 July 2018. Retrieved 15 July 2018.
- ^ "New Delhi Municipal Council". www.ndmc.gov.in. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
- ^ "New Delhi renames 'British' sites to honour the Gandhis". Deseret News. Associated Press. 21 August 1995. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f g Roy, Sidhartha (8 February 2011). "CP's blueprint: Bath's Crescent". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 3 January 2013. Retrieved 10 April 2022.
- ^ Roy, Sidhartha (1 September 2011). "A tale of two cities". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 2 July 2015. Retrieved 10 April 2022.
- ^ a b Khandekar, Nivedita (2 June 2013). "A village that made way for CP". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 9 January 2014. Retrieved 23 September 2013.
- ^ a b c "Breathing life into New Delhi". Hindustan Times, Metro. 8 February 2011. p. 4.
- ^ "How India's first private art gallery introduced modern masters to the world". The Sunday Guardian Live. 5 May 2018. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
- ^ "Indian Paintings Getting New Attention from Museums and Collectors". Art & Antiques Magazine. 7 March 2012. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
- ^ "A a number of shops at Connaught Place boast of a rich legacy". Hindustan Times. 9 February 2011. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
- ^ a b c Dastidar, Avishek G (9 February 2011). "The heart of Delhi, even then". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 11 February 2011. Retrieved 10 April 2022.
- ^ "100 years of Dilli khana". Business Line. 2 June 2011. Retrieved 10 April 2022.
- ^ The Imperial, New Delhi Archived 13 January 2011 at the Wayback Machine The New York Times
- ^ Famous Hotels: Imperial New Delhi – the making of By Andreas Augustin. 4hoteliers.com. 11 December 2006.
- ISBN 1-86450-297-5.
- ^ "Jeewan Bharti". Archived from the original on 21 May 2011. Retrieved 9 February 2011.
- ^ "The famous four". Hindustan Times. 14 September 2011. Archived from the original on 23 October 2012.
- ISBN 978-1-74104-690-8.
- ^ "Delhi Is Having A Youth Festival | sbcltr". sbcltr.in. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
- ^ "Urdu Heritage Festival moves out of Old Delhi, will be held in Connaught Place from Feb 15". Hindustan Times. 14 February 2018. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
- ^ "Delhi govt organises 'Voices of People' a musical platform for dissent". Hindustan Times. 30 November 2017. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
- ^ "Shubha Mudgal's concert in Delhi on Saturday, to celebrate communal harmony, free speech". The Indian Express. 18 January 2018. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
- ^ Malhotra, Aditi (12 March 2014). "Bending the Rules to Fly India's Largest Flag". Wall Street Journal – India. Retrieved 8 June 2014.
- ^ Henry Chu (14 September 2008). "At least 10 killed in series of blasts in Indian capital". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 14 January 2009.
- ^ Bruce Loudon (15 September 2008). "Hunt for Delhi bomb suspects". The Australian. Archived from the original on 16 September 2008. Retrieved 14 January 2009.
- ^ "CP restoration plan hit by undue delays: CAG". The Hindu. 4 August 2011.
- ^ Bhasin, Ruhi (8 January 2010). "NDMC's digging frenzy in CP stalls traffic hits trade". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 1 July 2012. Retrieved 10 April 2022.
External links
- Media related to Connaught Place, New Delhi at Wikimedia Commons
- New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC)