Redeveloped Pragati Maidan might open 2 months ahead of schedule
The redevelopment work of Delhi's iconic exhibition and convention centre Pragati Maidan has been going on for four months in order to meet the September 2019 target, but senior NBCC officials said it might be completed two months before that. National Building Corporation Ltd (NBCC), the executing body, added that the three exhibition halls and the partial underground parking will be completed by February.
As per the plan, the convention centre will be integrated with an amphitheatre, after which there will be enough space to accommodate 10,000 visitors at a time. Officials said that each exhibition hall will be equipped with state-of-the-art amenities and each would be able to host 10,000 people. Meanwhile, the underground parking will be able to fit in around 5,000 vehicles.
The plan to have a helipad on roof was dropped but the huge green space can be used for such a purpose if need arises, officials said. A planned musical fountain, if implemented, will catapult Pragati Maidan to Delhi's 'hottest spots' list. Shapoorji Pallonji was roped in for the Rs. 2,100cr project, which will be maintained by NBCC for five years.
PWD is also working on an underground tunnel that will connect Pragati Maidan to Ring Road, and the entire stretch will be signal-free. NBCC chairman Dr Anoop K Mittal said the idea is to make Pragati Maidan capable of hosting multiple events.
