By IANS
New Delhi : The historic Red Fort here, granted the Unesco World Heritage Site Status recently, will be made more tourist-friendly as authorities plan a makeover of the area around the monument.
According to the proposed Comprehensive Research Conservation Plan (CRCP), the area around the 17th century Red Fort, always crammed with vehicular traffic, will be decongested to allow free movement of tourists by constructing more subways and underpasses.
Also on the cards are an underground ticketing facility, eating joints, shops, waiting lounges and information centres for the tourists.
“All the proposed facilities have been planned underground so that the view of the Red Fort is not obstructed while easing out the traffic in the area and making for a comfortable visit for the tourists,” Abhimanyu Dayal, urban designer and architect who is a part of the project, told IANS Wednesday.
In a bid to decongest the surroundings and facilitate free movement of the pedestrians and vehicles, it is also proposed that there will be no traffic signal in the entire area.
The plan also proposes to link monuments like Red Fort, Jama Masjid, Chandni Chowk and Fatehpuri Masjid. The roads will be widened and underpasses will be constructed instead of flyovers, which obstruct the view of the monuments.
Two subways are proposed to link the Red Fort with the Netaji Subhash Marg and Chandni Chowk to facilitate easier pedestrian movement in the area.
Additional parking space is also being planned for visitors near the Delhi Gate, apart from the existing facility, where a visitor can park the vehicle and take the battery-operated ferry service towards Chandni Chowk.
These measures are aimed at making the quintessential Old Delhi neighbourhood, adorned with historic monuments, more tourist-friendly.