New Delhi: After the beautification of Chandni Chowk, people are having a smooth commuting experience awhich locals say has spurred more footfalls in the area and will benefit the market around eventually. The walk-way passage of Chandni Chowk is floored with red stones, bringing back the archaic Mughal-era charm. The ban on vehicles has allowed visitors an easy access to the passage. Only cycle rickshaws are allowed to operate and people are a lot less hassled now.
Manpreet Singh, a local salesman, said: “The growth has picked up, we are witnessing more customers compared to the time before the revamp; congestion has decreased and people’s footfalls have increased.”
Rahul, a crockery shop-owner in the market, said: “It feels pleasant seeing no thronging in the area; earlier there used to be cars and people pickled together and it was hard to move around, but now the unnecessary crowding is gone and customers get time to look around and choose their place of shopping.”
Mohammad Chand Nawab, a cycle rickshaw operator, said: “The aisle between the two ways of the passage of the Chandni Chowk is fenced, within which there is greenery, giving it an environment-friendly touch. “The greens in-between have helped in restricting people from littering around; some also come to take photos, why shouldn’t one come to take photos? This passage used to be shabby with litter everywhere and now the dirt and litter is gone and the renovation of the place has made it all new, different and better.”
Chandni Chowk was known for pick-pockets but that has now decreased. “Earlier, the thief would snatch away things and then disappear in the crowd, and people could barely see beyond their nose, and this encouraged pick pockets to commit more and more thefts. However, now things have changed, anyone can scream at the offender and people can catch him, thieves are more visible now, so are we,” said a street vendor at Chandni Chowk.