The Delhi government had decided to give a face-lift to the area around the Jama Masjid

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday directed the Shahjahanabad Redevelopment Corporation to submit a detailed status report regarding the project for re-development of the Jama Masjid area in the national capital.

The Delhi government had decided to give a face-lift to the area around the Jama Masjid, and it had appointed a new consultant for preparing a detailed plan.

The court’s direction came during the consideration of a 2014 matter on the re-development of the Jama Masjid precincts in Shahjanabad, similar to the Chandni Chowk area redevelopment.

The division bench headed by Acting Chief Justice Vipin Sanghi and Justice Navin Chawla asked the newly-appointed consultant about the Detailed Project Report (DPR) and the time taken for its preparation.

While considering the matter in detail and observing enormous wastage of time caused by the authorities concerned by not finalising the DPR in these issues, the bench said the Consultants have to come up now with a revised DPR along with revised detailed estimates.

“It should also be indicated within how much time the fresh report will be prepared by the freshly appointed consultant,” the bench said, and posted the matter for further hearing on July 25.

In a related development, the Shahi Imam of the Jama Masjid had in June last year urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to get the damaged minarets of the historic monument repaired.

The Jama Masjid is made of red sandstones and white marbles. This mosque is situated just 500 metres away from the Red Fort, built around the same time.

The construction of this mosque was started by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in 1650. It took six years and Rs 10,00,000 to build this mosque.