CP move will inculcate respect for built heritage: experts

The decision to make middle and inner circular roads of Connaught Place a vehicle-free zone will bring back the "diminished glory" of the famed market and inculcate love and respect for architectural heritage among people, experts say.
"There is an epidemic of cars in Delhi, like any other metro. And, people today have become habituated to not walk and park their vehicles as nearer to shops as possible. CP is designed in a crescent shape and its beauty can be admired if the space is open and not crowded with cars.
"With the move to pedestrianise the area, people may initially think, it would bring discomfort, as they may have to walk or use park-and-ride facility, but eventually, they would see the wisdom in it," says well-known heritage activist Sohail Hashmi.

Hashmi, who conducts regular heritage walks in the city, says the move is a step in the right direction and will bring back the glory of the old Connaught Place, "diminished by rapid urbanisation".
"From the heritage perspective, it's a wonderful news, as people would now be able to admire the architectural grandeur of this iconic building complex, heretofore obscured by huge number of cars and vehicles," noted conservation architect and town planner, AGK Menon told PTI.
He says, the place maybe a market, but it is also an "iconic city landmark" and in many ways linked with the history of building of New Delhi after the British capital was shifted here from Calcutta in 1911.

"Amid, all the honking of the vehicles and noise and pollution, we sometimes forget that we are walking in the midst of a historical structure. And, pedestrianisation in Paris, Amsterdam, Germany and the US has turned places into veritable tourist hotspots," Menon says.

Named after the Duke of Connaught, Prince Arthur who visited India in 1921, the building was designed by Robert Tor Russell, who also built the Parliament House. A handsomely colonnaded structure, its design is said to be inspired from the Royal Crescent in Bath, England.
"When CP was built, the city had a very thin population, and there were hardly any cars. Now, there is a vehicular explosion, and so this is a wonderful initiative to not just decongest the busy market zone, but, people over time, would eventually also begin to develop greater respect for architectural heritage," Hashmi said.

Hashmi feels that, the move should coincide with installation of uniform period street furniture in the CP area.
"Victorian-era style, wrought-iron lamp posts, benches and dustbins should be put up to merge with the grand architecture of the building. Phaetons and e-buses should be run to ferry commuters. I say, let us reclaim our space and celebrate our built heritage," he said.