Gole Mkt museum to fete women achievers

Lieutenant governor VK Saxena on Saturday laid the foundation stone for the conservation and restoration project at the British-era Gole Market, which will be turned into a museum dedicated to the country's women achievers. The project will be implemented by the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC).

- Sadia Akhtar

Saxena said that the museum will shine a spotlight on the successful women and their contributions in the fields of literature, culture, social sector, medicine, science and technology. The role played by women in the country's struggle for independence will also be a special highlight, he added.

"The building will be converted into a museum, which has been named 'Veerangana', and will be the first-of-its-kind in Delhi. There will be a library and a restaurant as well," he said.

Gole Market was first planned as a neighbourhood market in 1918. The structure dates to the early 1920s and is a Grade-II heritage structure. The two-storey building comprises a central courtyard.

Over the years, the structure developed cracks and several parts of the ceiling caved in. Plaster lining the walls and pillars peeled off, rendering the structure weak.