Delhi Assembly to throw open for public British-era tunnel, execution room

The Delhi Assembly will throw open for public a British-era tunnel and renovated execution room next year, Speaker Ram Niwas Goel said on Friday.

Goel said the tunnel was discovered under the floors of the Delhi Assembly way back. He said the tunnel and the execution room both are British-era architecture.

"We will open the renovated British-era 'Fansi Ghar' (execution room) of revolutionaries and the tunnel for public by January 26 or latest by August 15, 2022. People will be allowed to visit these two places when the Delhi Assembly is not in session," Goel told PTI.

He said the historical significance of the tunnel, discovered in 2016, is yet to be established but it is conjectured that it connects the Legislative Assembly to the Red Fort.

"We are not going to renovate the tunnel or dig it further as it will not be possible because lots of construction activities such as Metro Rail would have blocked its way. We will keep it as it is and allow the public to see it," Goel said.

He said the work on the project of renovation of the execution room had already started.

"Tenders have been floated and the PWD would soon begin its work. The design on which the execution room will be renovated have also been prepared," Goel said.

The building was built in 1911. The Delhi Assembly was used as Central Legislative Assembly after the capital of the country was shifted to Delhi from Kolkata in 1912.

Goel said that the building was emptied in 1926 as the Central Legislative Assembly was shifted to present day Lok Sabha building.

Later, this Delhi Assembly building was converted into a court by Britishers, he said.

The Delhi Assembly had been a soil and temple of revolutionaries. Those who were prisoned in the Red Fort used to be brought here through this tunnel and decisions were pronounced here. Revolutionaries who used to be given a death sentence were taken to the execution room located in the Delhi Assembly, he said.

The tunnel is located right beneath the central hall of the Assembly premises where legislators sit during the session and its length beneath the Assembly Hall is around 50-60 metres, Goel said.

The distance between Delhi Assembly and the Red Fort is about 5-6 kilometres. The Red Fort was built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in the mid-17th century.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader said the execution room was shut so far. All this history was spread through word-of-mouth publicity and I came to know about this when I became the MLA in 1993, he said.

Goel also said that the historic Delhi Assembly will be developed into a tourist spot where people will also be able to see a 25-minute film depicting its history and that of freedom fighters and the city.

Other activities like showcasing the history of freedom fighters digitally on the lines of Gandhi Darshan at Rajghat will also be developed.

Details of 90 per cent of those leaders who used to sit here (then Central Legislative Assembly) have been collected. All this will be showcased in the Assembly, Goel said.

According to Goel, the tourism department will be roped in for the project to bring it on the tourism map.

He said that these tourist attractions will be free for students, however, the tourism department will be free to fix ticket for other tourists.