Cleaning plan still in limbo, Connaught Place traders decry neglect

The ₹28 crore plan for mechanised cleaning of CP has seen no progress since 2022; traders say market remains filthy even during festive season.

The paan-stained walls, pain-chipped columns, and poorly maintained corners of Connaught Place market come back into focus with traders lamenting the lack of cleaning and housekeeping, even as the New Delhi Municipal Council has initiated efforts for the mechanised cleaning and scrubbing of Hanuman temple complex at the neighbouring Baba Kharak Singh Marg. Meanwhile, a project for similar mechanised cleaning and washing of the CP market has remained stuck in bureaucratic logjam for over three years.

Traders say NDMC maintains Hanuman Temple area with machines but ignores CP, despite it being Delhi’s busiest commercial hub. (Sanchit Khanna/HT)

Despite New Delhi Municipal Council figuring among the top performers in the Swachh Survekshan India’s annual cleanliness survey, conducted by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), traders at the central business district rue the conditions of its common spaces, including paan stains, damaged floor tiles, shabby back lanes and poor maintenance. They say the market should be spruced up at least during the festive season with the fresh paint applied before the G20 summit in 2023 now having worn off.

Atul Bhargava, president of the New Delhi Traders Association (NDTA), said that the administration has been talking about mechanised cleaning and housekeeping of the marketplace for years but nothing has materialised on ground. “Even in the festive season, the market wears a shabby look. We have followed up with council and private agencies. If the services can be carried out in the Hanuman temple complex, can they also consider our market for similar mechanised clean up and maintenance?”

Bhargava said that the last time the market received proper maintenance was around the Commonwealth Games in 2010 and only a “paint job” was carried out ahead of the G20. “Diwali is coming and the market is riddled with chipping of paint, paan-stained corners and poor maintenance of common areas. Parking lots are in a mess and back lanes are in a shabby state. Even traders are not allowed to undertake repair works as it requires permission from the Heritage Conservation Committee (HCC). The CP is the premier business hub and it should have been spruced up at least around festival period.”

A spot check, undertaken by HT on Wednesday, the traders complaints were borne out. Building walls and columns in the Inner Circle were covered in paan stains despite signboards warning fines for spitting. While graffiti was an issue in some corridors , electricity metres and open wires pose a threat to pedestrians in others, with someone hanging dangerously close to condensate drain pipes from air conditioners. A number of corridors also smelled of urine, garbage or seeping water.

Wires dangle near drain pipes and meters in CP corridors, posing safety threats; traders call for urgent maintenance. (Sanchit Khanna/HT)

At several places, the flooring has also broken, leaving the surface uneven and unsightly.

“Following our request during the G20 Summit in 2023, the NDMC had painted all the blocks in the market. But upkeep hasn’t really been good, particularly IN the inner corridors,” the NDTA joint secretary Amit Gupta said. “The market is frequently visited by people from different states of the country and different parts of the world, it sends a bad impression when certain corners of the market are smelling and others have walls with paan stains.”

The market has 13 blocks, which houses more than 1,300 establishments. “It’s impossible to clean the entire market manually and these cleaners have no special equipment and chemicals for cleaning,” Gupta said. “We pay the highest property taxes which is around 15 times higher compared to other markets in Delhi. CP is in the heart of Delhi and it should be sparkling clean.”

In 2022-23, New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) had initiated a mechanised cleaning drive at the Hanuman Temple complex in Connaught Place, part of a broader beautification and sanitation effort. The drive involved modern equipments like robotic cleaners and mechanical sweepers to maintain cleanliness in high-traffic public areas, which receives devotees and VIPs from across India. Officials said, the civic body is expanding the project with an annual expenditure of ₹2.5 crore for which bids will be finalised on October 13.

Constructed in 1933, CP is one of the most iconic landmarks of the national capital and the white colonial-era columns have come to define it. It was named in honour of the Duke of Connaught, Prince Arthur, son of Queen Victoria, during his visit to Delhi.

Over the decades, the market has been home to some of the most popular social spots, from cinema halls like Regal, Odeon and Rivoli to restaurants and eateries like Kwality and United Coffee house. Wenger’s, a confectionery, one of the original shops to open at the market still boasts of heavy footfall today.

As a result, CP remains one of the most sought after commercial and office spaces with monthly rentals in the Inner Circle, a prominent high-street retail location, of ₹1,150-1,250 per square foot during the first quarter of 2025, according to a report by Cushman & Wakefield.

In May 2022, the NDMC council had approved a comprehensive, ₹28 crore plan for the total mechanised sweeping and scrubbing of Connaught Place and nearby areas, including roads, parking lots, and corridors.

The NDMC spokesperson had not responded to requests for comment as this article went to print.

Once freshly painted for the G20, CP’s columns now bear paan stains and chipped paint as NDMC delays its maintenance project. (Sanchit Khanna/HT)

A senior NDMC official said the project encountered several technical difficulties and, initially, there was a lack of satisfactory response to the hiring of a housekeeping agency. “Tenders were floated but only a single bid was received. We are preparing fresh estimates and detailed project reports.”

Sameer Hussain of Raymond Custom Tailoring, one of the shops in CP, said, “Washrooms are there in the market but they aren’t maintained well. The cleaning people come in the morning but the cleaning improves when there’s some special event or a celebrity visit.”

A trader from a South Indian restaurant, meanwhile, complained about the sewage system.

“The sewage system is not maintained properly. If it rains heavily, sewage overflows on the road,” they said. “The NDMC is not doing anything for the beautification of the market, the way the electric wires are hanging it looks like it’s some place in old Delhi.”