A large section of Chandni Chowk’s more than 160-year-old Town Hall, a Grade-I protected heritage building owned by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), has collapsed, damaging its facade, first floor, roof, walls of the main entrance porch and the clock mounted above it.
Chief minister Rekha Gupta made the announcement in her budget speech in April. “The entire roof and the two massive beams in the entry porch came down two days ago, with guards and local jawans reporting the collapse. Some debris has been cleared, but it will take many days to clear the entire site.
The damage comes even as the Delhi government has announced plans to redevelop the complex as a “Global Heritage Centre”, showcasing the Capital’s art, culture and cuisine. The adjoining walls have developed cracks and a portion of the first floor has also been damaged,” the official said. A senior civic official, who asked not to be identified, said the roof and two massive beams near the entrance porch collapsed on Saturday.
The proposal stalled over revenue-sharing issues. The latest proposal, to develop the complex as a Global Heritage Centre in collaboration with the Delhi Tourism department, was formalised through an MoU between the Delhi government and MCD two months ago. Historian Narayani Gupta, conservation activist Anisha Shekhar food expert Rahul Verma and I had submitted a proposal to turn sections of Town Hall building into a library, restaurant, cultural centre and a boutique hotel.”
An MCD official said funds from the education department of the Punjab government — under whose jurisdiction Delhi then fell — were also used, as Delhi College had been shut after the 1857 revolt. In 1866, the municipality bought the building for ₹ 135,457, reimbursing the contributors, and retained rooms for a library and a European club. In 2013, the civic body proposed converting parts of the complex into a library, restaurant, cultural centre and boutique hotel, with space for public concerts and musical events. The plan was shelved after a change of government in 2014. In 2018, the erstwhile North Delhi Municipal Corporation proposed a heritage hotel, but received no bids. In 2022, the Union culture ministry expressed interest in taking over the property on a 33-year lease to develop a museum, library, research centre and restaurant. MCD set up a heritage cell in 2023 to prepare restoration estimates. “In 2012, the MCD commissioner had approached us to help formulate an adaptive reuse plan.
Sohail Hashmi, city chronicler, author and documentary filmmaker, said that the sites like Town Hall have played crucial role in the city’s evolution. He said that he had worked on a proposal for reuse of the Town Hall complex.
