Lieutenant governor VK Saxena, who was inspecting the ongoing restoration work of the Roshanara Bagh on Saturday, said that the Capital will soon get a new tourist destination with the heritage makbara (tomb) of Begum Roshanara and the surrounding assets in the form of a restored lake, garden, nursery and walkways.
On Saturday, LG posted on his official handle of X, “The makeover of the historic Roshanara Bagh since my first visit on 18.6.22 has started to become visible. Work for restoration & rejuvenation of this 57 acre asset with a lake, garden, nursery, walkways and public utilities right in the heart of the City is in progress.”
He added, “The heritage Makbara of Begum Roshanara is being restored to its glory & the park around it will be adorned with flowers & plants. The water body is slowly but surely coming to life. North Delhi eagerly awaits the Capital’s new destination.”
Spread over 57 acres, the 17th century Roshanara Bagh was a garden developed by the second daughter of emperor Shah Jahan and Begum Mumtaz Mahal. The original garden was designed and commissioned by the princess in the 1650s at the time Shahjahanabad was being built and the baradari at the centre of the garden now serves as her resting place. Over the last one year, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and other government agencies are undertaking multiple projects to rejuvenate the space, including reviving a dead lake.
MCD opened the state-of-the-art nursery at Roshanara Bagh in January last year. Saxena inaugurated the facility and directed the officials during his visit to the Bagh on June 18, 2022, to develop a “world-class nursery” on the 8.5 acre, which was earlier lying covered with construction and demolition waste.
An MCD official said that the stone pitching work on the lake was carried out and the Delhi Jal Board completed the work on setting up a decentralised sewage treatment plant that will feed the lake. “The plant has a capacity of cleaning 2.25 million litre of drain water every day, which will be fed to the lake. The central government has also sanctioned ₹11 cr for lake rejuvenation and the project will include development of pathways, illumination and play zones for children,” official added.