Can Connaught Place mess be cleared by month end?

New Delhi (IANS)- Traffic-clogged roads, heaps of debris, rain-soaked slush, lack of parking space...Even as Connaught Place, the famous shopping landmark and city centre of Delhi, has been reduced to a travesty of its former self, the authorities hope to clear the mess by the end of this month.

The circular area with its grand British-era colonnaded white-painted corridors housing big branded stores, some dating back a century, fine  dining restaurants and offices, is caught in a quagmire of never-endingconstruction work. Part of the renovation was planned ahead of the Commonwealth Games to be held from Oct 3-14, but delays have only added to the mess.

"We are trying to clear everything before Aug 31 and apologise to the traders," Anand Tiwari, a New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) public relations officer, told IANS.

He admitted that people had been put to inconvenience but said this was true of every development project.

City dwellers once loved to go to CP - as it is popularly called - to shop, work or just have a great time. But with most areas dug up, even those walking around find it difficult to move.

"CP has become hell. It is so difficult to find parking space. The worst is when it rains the whole area becomes messy as it is dug up," said Anupama Srinivasan, who works with a finance company that has its office there.

Another section that has been voicing its woes is the traders. The shopkeepers are struggling due to falling footfalls.

"We can't even think of profit as cost recovery itself is not possible. For Connaught Place shop owners, the monsoon season sale time used to be second only to the business done during Diwali," says Atul Bhargava, president of the New Delhi Traders' Association.

But, since the underground cable network has been disturbed by construction work, electronic payments at shops have been suspended.

According to a shop owner, card payments are not possible and most avoid paying in cash, leading to a dip in sales. Traders claim sales have dipped by 90 percent in the Middle Circle and by 50 percent in the Outer circle.

"We have seen a decline in sales because most of our customers relied on card payment," says a mobile phone store manager in the Outer Circle area.

When the work in Connaught Place began in 2009 there was hope and excitement about its lost glory being restored. But that was not to be.

NDMC started the redevelopment work of the commercial hub, including construction of eight new subways in the Outer Circle of Connaught Place, a service corridor in the Middle Circle, facade restoration and other improvements.

A total of Rs.450 crore ($100 million) has been sanctioned for the renovation of Connaught Place but till now the authorities have only been able to use Rs.150 crore.

The renovation work has brought roads in the Middle and Outer Circle of  Connaught Place under strain, with construction material strewn near dug upareas.

All this has affected vehicular movement. Routes of several public transport buses, which used to pass through the area, have been diverted. Due to construction, only half the width of the Outer Circle is available for vehicular movement.

Delhi Traffic Police claim to have done their bit to minimise tailbacks.

"We have deployed extra manpower. Even the construction teams are working in coordination (with us). This is to allow smooth movement of vehicles during peak hours," says Rajan Bhagat, the Delhi Police spokesperson.

Power supply in the commercial hub is also unpredictable and most shopkeepers depend on external power supply. "Now we have become used to power voltage fluctuations happening almost thrice a day," says an employee of the famous Nizam restaurant.

Sheetal Kant, who has been working in Connaught Place for the last 12 years, says: "There is no place for pedestrians. Bringing one's own vehicle in this area has become terrible. I can't believe this is the same place."

With just 46 days left for the Games, all one hopes is to see Connaught Place in the shape and architectural splendour which has won it appreciation across the globe.