Come Thursday and Delhi is set get back what it had handed over to the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) five years ago - the Central Park in Connaught Place, and this time in a much more greener and smarter form.

Spread over 39,000 square metres, the park had been taken over by DMRC for the construction of its underground Rajiv Chowk station. However, the park has now been restored and handed back to the New Delhi Municipal Council and will be formally inaugurated by Delhi’s chief minister Sheila Dikshit on Thursday. The NDMC has also organized a cultural program to mark the opening.

Redesigning Central Park was part of NDMC’s redevelopment plan for Connaught Place. The park now has a green area of 27,000 square metres, including 10,000 square metres of paved walkways for morning joggers. The park also has four water bodies and 21 fountains, besides a water cascade. Lights have been provided at the fountains and the cascade to enliven the vista. However the main attraction, just above the Metro station, is a quarter-arc shaped amphitheatre that can seat about 500 people.

The height of the station and the park has been kept low so it does not obstruct the market’s view and is in harmony with Lutyen’s Delhi. Unlike the original park, however, this park will not have any trees. Instead, the DMRC has selected evergreen and flowering plants to ensure that the park remains a visual delight around the year.

Next on the NDMCs agenda is to give the nearby Palika Bazar, the country’s first underground market which is in a state of total disarray, a makeover. As a first step in this direction, the council has already appointed consultants to prepare a plan for restoring Palika Bazar’s lost glory.

Palika Bazar used to be one of Delhi’s must-visit destinations for tourists, selling everything from cheap garments to accessories like handbags and belts to computer games and software. However, of late, this market has attained a very seedy reputation, mainly due to the sale of pirated software and movies on the sly out here. The situation was made even worse by the rampant encroachments, by the shopkeepers within the market and the hawkers outside the market, which has resulted in most people giving Palika Bazar a miss.

But now, with the entire Connaught Place area being redeveloped in time for the Commonwealth Games 2010, it seems Palika Bazar will once again get back on the must-visit list; until then enjoy a walk in the Central Park.