Tag: Connaught Place

Fire breaks out at Gopal Das building in Delhi’s Connaught Place, 15 fire tenders at spot

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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A massive fire broke out at the Gopal Das building in Delhi’s Barakhamba Road, Connaught Place on Thursday, December 21.

CNN News 18 reported that Delhi Fire Department dispatched 15 fire tenders to the scene. As per the report the blaze started on the 11th floor.

(Will be updated)

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KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

From historic landmarks to bustling markets, embracing the chaos of Delhi

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Delhi, the capital city of India, is a vibrant and chaotic metropolis known for its rich history, delicious food, and bustling markets. It’s the perfect destination for a wild and exciting weekend getaway. Here’s a guide to spending a wild weekend in Delhi.

Day 1: Exploring Old Delhi

Upon arrival in Delhi, start your day by exploring the historic streets of Old Delhi. Take a rickshaw ride through the winding lanes and visit famous landmarks such as the Red Fort and the Jama Masjid, one of the largest mosques in India. In the afternoon, take a stroll through the bustling Chandni Chowk market, where you can find everything from spices and textiles to jewellery and electronics.

Day 2: Discovering New Delhi

On your second day in Delhi, take a tour of New Delhi, which is the more modern part of the city. Start by visiting the famous India Gate, a war memorial and national monument, and then head to the Qutub Minar, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the tallest minaret in India. In the afternoon, visit the Lotus Temple, a Bahai House of Worship shaped like a lotus flower.

Day 3: Food Crawl

Delhi is known for its delicious street food, and there’s no better way to experience it than by going on a food crawl. From chaat and samosas to parathas and biryani, there’s a wide variety of street food to try. Take a stroll through the streets of Delhi and stop at different street food vendors to try different dishes.

ALSO READ | How to explore India’s rich cultural heritage through its best sites The Taj Mahal and Khajuraho

Day 4: Shopping

On your last day in Delhi, indulge in some shopping at the famous Connaught Place and Lajpat Nagar market. Connaught Place is a popular shopping destination for high-end brands, and Lajpat Nagar is known for its local handicrafts and textiles.

Overall, Delhi is a city that offers a perfect blend of rich history, delicious food, and exciting shopping. From its historic landmarks and bustling markets to its delicious street food and vibrant nightlife, you’ll have an unforgettable time in this wild and chaotic city. So, pack your bags and head to Delhi for a wild weekend getaway!

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Fire in Delhi Connaught Place hotel, 7 fire tenders rush to the spot, no one injured, say officials

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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A fire broke out in a hotel in central Delhi’s Connaught Place on Saturday morning, officials said.

There was no report of any injury to anyone, officials said, adding that the hotel is in the ‘F’ block of Connaught Place.

The Delhi Fire Services received information regarding the fire at 8.51 am, following which seven fire tenders were rushed to the spot to douse the blaze, the officials said.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Massive fire at restaurant in Delhi’s Connaught Place

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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A fire broke out at a restaurant in central Delhi’s Connaught Place area on Friday morning , officials said. No casualty has been reported so far.

Officials said they received information regarding the blaze at the Cafe High5, located in the outer circle of Connaught Place, around 5.30 am. The furniture kept on the first floor of the restaurant had caught fire, news agency ANI reported.

Six fire tenders were rushed to the spot, and the fire was brought under control in an hour, the officials added.

#WATCH | It is reported that the fire occurred in a piece of furniture in the restaurant ‘Cafe High5’ on the first floor. No casualty reported. pic.twitter.com/rMV3NyTuqW

— ANI (@ANI) July 15, 2022

Also read: Here’s how Delhiites can find charging stations, know about subsidies on WhatsApp

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

COVID-19 Impact: High rents, low sales force brands, traders to move out of Delhi’s premium markets

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Hurt by the coronavirus pandemic, shop owners in the premium markets in Delhi have started evaluating options of shifting out, as high rental costs are now no longer a viable business decision.

Talking to CNBC-TV18, a number of shop owners and traders, who did not want to be named, said that they expect their businesses to be running at a maximum of 50 percent of last year’s revenues, that too only towards the end of the year and thus, to reduce their expenses to run the businesses, shifting out to a cheaper rental space is one of the top options available for consideration.

Due to near negligible sales over the last few months, some of the prominent brands are under considerable cost pressure (with no sales and high rental costs) and have decided to move out of these locations. Major apparel brands among the worst-hit retailers are considering moving out of high-profile Khan Market and Connaught Place.

Some of the major brands which so far “held sway in up-market retail locations include toy retailer Hamleys, premium lifestyle brand Shaze, women’s ethnic apparel line Soch, men’s apparel line Blackberrys, Louis Philippe, W, Lee and Wrangler,” said Anuj Puri, Chairman, ANAROCK Property Consultants.

High rentals coupled with lack of sales have made it difficult even for big brands to sustain, said a brand franchise owner, who is evaluating rental deals in South Extension market in New Delhi.

Premium, high-street and busy markets such as Khan Market, Connaught Place, Karol Bagh, South-Extension, Chandni Chowk, etc. are witnessing this trend.

“Needless to say, all retail leasing activity has more or less come to a standstill in these markets since lockdown 1.0 was imposed in March and there have been no new major rental deals in any of these localities so far. As for previous tenants (retailers/traders), they are either trying to negotiate on rental amounts or looking at concessions at various levels, but this is being done more at individual levels,” Puri said.

“There have been some exits in recent times with prominent brands moving out due to high rental costs and zero business. Average rentals in these markets — especially Khan Market and Connaught Place — are currently unsustainable for retailers. Moreover, even now when the lockdown rules are relaxed substantially all across, footfalls are way too low. Buyers are still shying away as consumption for non-essentials has dropped significantly. Since there is still no end in sight for the pandemic, uncertainties continue and some brands are reducing their presence to cut costs,” he added.

Expressing similar views, Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) Secretary General Praveen Khandelwal said, “It’s very difficult for the tenant traders to pay the rental since due to lockdown their shops were closed for a long time and post Covid, the footfall in markets is very minimal and having various other statutory obligations to comply with, it’s extremely difficult to pay rents. There is as such no correction in rentals except very minimal percentage.”

Some of the hardships that brands, traders are facing today even when they think of shifting to a cheaper location is that “the place where their shops are located have earned goodwill because of hard labour of traders over long years. If they shift their business then they will have to start from scratch and under the prevailing circumstances it’s almost very difficult. Moreover, there is also a concern that in such case, the traders who have huge outstanding amount on account of credit given to large number of people – they won’t be able to recover that. But if sales do not pick up then there are chances for the brands/shops to move out,” Khandelwal added.

But, is there any correction in rents so far?

Well, since no new deal has taken place since the lockdown, the average monthly rentals for these markets haven’t been defined yet in the quarter of lockdown and it is tough to see whether a correction or revision has happened. However, negotiations for concessions are happening at individual levels, suggested market traders and shop owners.

Khan market, which is among the most expensive high-street retail destinations of the world, too has seen some movement. Though the monthly rentals in Khan Market are at an average of Rs 1,400 per sq. ft., businesses find it tough to sustain at these levels.

“Some big brands have had to reconsider their location strategy in upmarket retail hubs like Khan market,” Puri added.

As per ANAROCK research, the average monthly rentals in these markets as on Q1 2019 stood at:

• Khan Market – Rs 1,400 per sq. ft.

• Connaught Place – Rs 950 per sq. ft.

• South Extension – Rs 600 per sq. ft.

• Karol Bagh – Rs 400 per sq. ft.

• Chandni Chowk – Rs 250 per sq. ft.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Sheila Dikshit loved footwear, western music!

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Sheila Dikshit was quite fond of Western music since her youth and would sit near the radio waiting for her favourite songs to be aired and a few years later also developed a fascination for footwear.

Apart from this, reading was also a big passion. Dikshit had mentioned about these in her autobiography “Citizen Delhi: My Times, My Life” published last year.

“Father was a member of the Gymkhana Club (of Delhi) and during my teenage years when we lived within walking distance of it, on Dupleix Lane, we would get a fresh lot of six books every weekend to last us until the next weekend. I devoured Enid Blyton’s ‘Famous Five’ stories, Richmal Crompton’s ‘Just William’ series and classics like Alexandre Dumas’s ‘The Three Musketeers’ and Victor Hugo’s ‘Les Miserables’,” she wrote.

Her favourite books were Lewis Caroll’s “Alice in Wonderland” and “Through the Looking Glass, What Alice Found There” and the Sherlock Holmes series.

Friday nights, according to her, were reserved for an immensely popular western music programme called, “A Date with You”, which played the latest songs.

“Clustering around the radio, we would try telepathic experiments to will the radio jockey to play the latest Doris Day or Henry Belafonte records!” she wrote. She also mentioned about her great craze for footwear.

“The shops coming up in Janpath, allotted to refugees from Pakistan who had initially spread out their wares on the floor of the corridors of Connaught Place, provided me with a reprieve from the sturdiness of the two ‘Bs’ – Bata and Baluja! Those small shops sold eye-catching, flat leather sandals with straps in bright colours, at three rupees a pair,” she wrote in the book published by Bloomsbury.

From her monthly pocket money, which was Rs 5 then, she saved enough over a period to buy several pairs in various colours and simple designs. She also loved watching movies and her first film in theatres was “Hamlet” in black-and-white.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow