Delhi: Anand Parbat

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Barh Ki Chowki

As in 2023

Anuja Jaiswal, Sep 20, 2023: The Times of India

Barh Ki Chowki, as in 2023
From: Anuja Jaiswal, Sep 20, 2023: The Times of India

New Delhi : Barh ki Chowki, one of Delhi’s oldest police posts constructed during the colonial rule in the early 1800s, will open to the public soon as Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (Intach) has completed restoration and conservation work on it.


According to officials, the restored post is expected to be inaugurated in September itself. “We will operate a small Delhi Police office here. We will take care of the over 200-year-old structure and maintain it properly,” ACP Rajendra Singh Kalkal said, adding it is yet to be decided which office will operate from the place.


The heritage building was found in a dilapidated condition by Delhi Police in 2006. Kalkal told TOIthat he found details of the chowki while doing research for a coffee table book, ‘Delhi Police: History & Heritage’.


“The chowki has a mention in Mirza Sangin Beg’s memoirs from the 1820s, called ‘Sair-ul Manazil’. It was translated to English by Shama Mitra Chenoy, who said there was a police chowki opposite Kala Pahar, now known as Anand Parbat, near Sheetla mandir (Usha Mata temple). On the basis of this information, we learnt there was an old chowki under Sarai Rohilla police station area,” Kalkal said, ad ding that the building was found in the North district. They subsequently approached Intach for its restoration and conservation.


According to A Vijaya, director and head of Intach’s architectural heritage division, the restoration was undertaken in 2022 in two phases.


“In Phase I from April to November 2022, emergency repair works funded by Intach were undertaken. Phase II was carried out from May to August 2023 wherein the interiors, illumination and landscape design were taken care of. This phase was funded by National Culture Fund, ministry of culture,” she said, adding about Rs 20 lakh were spent on the restoration. “We carried out traditional masonry work and restored arches. We also restored the jack arch roof, composed of girders and arches, which had collapsed. There was a small well too, which was cleaned by us,” Vijaya said.


She told TOI that the building is a single-storey stone structure with an arcade at the entrance and two rooms at the rear.


According to officials, former Special CP (Perception Management and Media Cell) Sanjay Beniwal, who is now DG (Prisons) of Tihar Jail, was closely involved in the restoration of the police post and played an active role in the release of funds from the ministry of culture.