Town Hall restoration project in doldrums; DPR not ready

A civic body's ambitious plans to restore the historic Town Hall in Old Delhi and develop its premises as a heritage retreat are in doldrums as after much delay into the scheme, the area's corporation has failed to come up with a detailed project report (DPR) on the proposal.
The Centre had in early 2014 cleared the Rs 50 crore heritage renewal project for the nearly 150-year-old building, which earlier served as the headquarters for the erstwhile unified Municipal Corporation of Delhi.
The city landmark, now owned by the North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC), has been lying in neglect for years with plaster peeling off its famed Victorian architecture, windows left ajar, and its once pristine gardens, now home to rats, burrowing holes in the lawns.

The 50-crore fund from the Tourism Ministry is to be released once it receives the DPR from the NDMC, which has till date failed to do so.
The DPR was supposed to ready by June 30, 2014.
And, while the Mayor of the BJP-ruled NDMC claimed that they have been making efforts to get the DPR ready, sources said, the project "seems to be going nowhere" at the moment.

"The DPR was supposed to be ready long ago but now after much delay, it is still not complete... It looks like the project is in doldrums," a source said.
Top officials at the Tourism Ministry also said there was "nothing afoot" at the moment regarding the long-stalled restoration project.

"Well, we haven't received the DPR yet, which is needed for release of funds. The proposal was made much earlier, but nothing afoot now, as far as this project is concerned," a senior Tourism Ministry official told PTI.
The NDMC has commissioned city-based Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) for the revival plan of the historic building.
Billed as one of the most ambitious projects by the NDMC, it has proposed a museum and a library in the Town Hall. The redeveloped premises will also have a state-of the-art conference hall, children's corner, boutique hotel, multi- cuisine restaurants and audio-visual and meeting rooms.

Known originally as the Lawrence Institute, the Hall was the original seat of the Delhi Municipality.
"We know the importance of this building, and it is part of our history and heritage. We are also working on the DPR, and seeking partnership with external agencies," North Delhi Mayor Ravinder Gupta said.
When asked the reason for delay in preparing the DPR and the timeline ahead for this project, he only said, "We want to develop it as a heritage property and we are working on it.