Old Delhi’s living history
Old Delhi is getting fresh attention from heritage walkers — Kucha Seth’s ‘decaying grandeur’ is being promoted as a street‑level cultural attraction that blends architecture with daily market life. Parliament also pushed for an inventory of British‑era sites outside ASI care, and the BJP has again pledged a Shahjahanabad makeover after decades of delay, putting heritage protection back on the agenda. (hindustantimes.com) (thehindu.com) (x.com)
Hindustan Times’ city column by Mayank Austen Soofi (published Mar 27, 2026) names Kucha Seth’s landmarks — the nearly 200‑year‑old Shri Digambar Jain Bada Mandir (c.1824) and long‑running shops such as Manohar Lal Doodh Waale and Kuremal Mohanlal Kulfi — as surviving anchors of the lane’s “decaying grandeur.” (hindustantimes.com) Several organised heritage‑walk operators list Old Delhi routes that pass through or spotlight kuchas like Kucha Pati Ram and nearby lanes; Delhi By Foot has been running weekly Old Delhi walks since July 2011 and commercial guides and blogs include Kucha stops in their Chandni Chowk itineraries. (so.city) (thedelhiwalla.blog) The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture presented its “Demands for Grants (2026‑27)” to Parliament on March 25, 2026 and recorded that the Archaeological Survey of India maintains 3,685 centrally protected monuments across 38 circles while recommending a central inventory of “non‑ASI” heritage structures at risk. (thehindu.com) The committee’s report cited concrete examples — “74 district collectorate buildings being demolished,” the 150‑year‑old DG post building in Darbhanga, and the Patna clock tower — as illustrations of colonial‑era assets vulnerable outside ASI protection. (thehindu.com) Coverage this week also highlights political moves on Shahjahanabad: ThePrint noted BJP calls for an NDMC‑style agency to give the Shahjahanabad Redevelopment Corporation (SRDC) stronger powers, while reporting that SRDC — constituted in 2008 under Sheila Dikshit — has long suffered staff shortages and “limited powers.” (theprint.in 1) (theprint.in 2) SRDC’s flagship Chandni Chowk makeover was delivered in 2021 at an estimated cost of around ₹100 crore, but recent reporting and official inspections have flagged rapid loss of upkeep and administrative neglect since the inauguration. (thehindu.com) (newindianexpress.com) Local conservation efforts include the Kathika museum‑haveli project in the Kucha Pati Ram area, run by the Kathika Trust and led by Atul Khanna, which documents adaptive reuse and small‑scale restoration as a counterpoint to large‑agency programmes. (kathika.in)
