Delhi's budget tourist hubs to get facelift

New Delhi, Nov 4 : Paharganj and Karol Bagh, two congested areas of the national capital that house innumerable budget hotels and crummy guest houses, are soon to get a facelift before next year's Commonwealth Games, Tourism Minister Kumari Selja said here Wednesday.

Selja, while making the announcement, said that the transport ministry had already allocated Rs.44 crore (Rs.440 million) for Paharganj and Rs.33 crore for Karol Bagh to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), which takes care of the two areas.

Many backpackers prefer to stay in these two areas, though crowded and rundown in places,due to the affordable accommodation they offer besides their central location.

"Under this, MCD will be taking care of the roads and surrounding areas," Selja told reporters at the Economic Editors' Conference.

The minister further said that her ministry had also given MCD Rs.11 crore for building two parking bays and other civic amenities in these two areas.

"A Singapore style stack car parking will come up in Paharganj before the Commonwealth Games," she said.

In this hydraulic stack parking system, cars can be moved vertically or horizontally with powerful hydraulic lifts. These will be multi-level parking lots.

Said Tourism Secretary Sujit Banerjee: "This Rs.77 crore amount is under the central roads funds and major overhaul is expected of the area to attract as many tourists as possible."

About the stack parking, he said: "About Rs.4.7 crore each has been given to MCD to build these two parking bays."

Banerjee said training programmes had also been conducted for owners of hotels and guest houses in the two localities on how to behave with the guests and what kind of facilities to provide.

India expects over 100,000 tourists during the Oct 3-14, 2010 Commonwealth Games.

--IANS