Hazratganj the new look

This was the colour scheme of the British Hazratganj,when it was the market place for the elite. Today,several new buildings have come up and they all look different. Painting them in similar colours was the best solution to give it a homogenity

Ashish Srivastava,ANB Consultants
Hired to design the project

Where to sit
The LDA and LMC have been assigned the job to make underground trenches for TV,telephone and electrical cables,laying down new drains and constructing fountains,railings and footpaths With the work of underground cables complete,and the LMC has relayed roads. The railings and lamp posts of Victorian designs and have been installed. Three fountains with colourful lights have also been built

They give an old world charm to the place

Om Prakash,LDA
Where to park
To tackle the problem of haphazard parking — which has made Hazratganj area a nightmare for shoppers — a multi-level parking is coming up. It has a capacity for around 400 vehicles and two floors have already been thrown open to the public

Where to visit
Once a favourite with Lucknowites,Hazratganj now hardly has any old spots left. The Mayfair Cinema Hall,which was famous for playing English movies,has been closed down alongwith Kwality restaurant. The only old shop in that building is Ram Advani Booksellers — belonging to eminent freedom fighter Ram Advani — and is still a haunt for book lovers even though Landmark has opened its store in the city

Where to eat
Another place that connects the old with the new is the Indian Coffee House at Jehangirabad Mansion on the main crossing. Having been a popular destination for eminent people like Atal Bihari

Vajpayee,Vir Bahadur Singh,Chandra Shekhar,Atul Anjan and many more,the Indian Coffee House has always been called the thinkers destination. Despite having an outlet of Cafe Coffee Day as it’s neighbour,it still attracts both young and old alike

What to read
Another major attraction that will come up is a book-shaped plaque,giving details of Hazratganj’s history

We are compiling details and this plaque will be a major attraction for both locals and tourists

Ashish Srivastava

The state government,with support from Hazratganj Traders Association and Lucknow Connect is executing the project The beginning
Lucknow’s most popular marketplace was established in 1810 by the then Nawab of Oudh,Saadat Ali Khan. According to the Lucknow Gazetteer,it was built as a 2-km street between Kothi Noor Baksh (now the district magistrate’s residence) and Kothi Hayat Baksh (now the Governor house)