new delhi after several unsuccessful attempts to give a new life to the town hall in the busy chandni chowk north delhi municipal corporation is now hoping to get some help from the centrethe union culture ministry has expressed interest in taking over the site for a 33year lease for conserving and developing it into a worldclass museum of the walled city and delhi with a library research centre and restaurant a part of it will be developed as a heritage hotelthe revenue generated will be shared in a 5050 ratio between the ministry and the corporation as per the initial proposal but final conditions are not decided yet the corporation has given its nod for the project recentlyafter the inprinciple approval from the ministry we got the anticipatory approval for the proposal from the mayor and sent it to the centre we have requested them to take necessary actions for implementing the project and finalising the modalities of revenue sharing said a councillorthe construction of the town hall which started in 1860 was completed in 1863 its total area is 13735 sq metre and there are three buildings each comprising ground and first floors the main central building and one each on its eastern and western sides are known as the press building and the dispensary building respectively the building constructed in the midcolonial period style is listed as a grade a heritage building a senior councillor said the corporation commissioner wrote in june 2021 to the culture ministry and again in january 2022 the mayor also wrote to the ministry suggesting four proposalsoptionsin march the ministry agreed to the third proposal for taking up the place for 33 years since all revenues accrue to the consolidated fund of india and a decision to share it necessitates consultation with the union finance ministry it would be finalised later said an officialin 2018 the corporation approved a proposal to start a heritage hotel at the building it even invited expressions of interest from hotel operators to lease out the 150yearold building for 33 years with a minimum reserve price of rs 192 crore per month tenders were issued in june 2021 almost three years after the proposal was cleared by the civic body and the technical bids were expected to be opened in augustbut we did not receive any response from interested parties for taking the lease of the hotel despite multiple attempts due to covid19 things became even more difficult for us financially and the project didnt find any taker said a councillorprior to this there was a plan in 2014 for restoration of the building but nothing happened