Civil Lines, Delhi
| Civil Lines | |
|---|---|
| subdistrict | |
 Civil Lines
|
|
| Coordinates: 28°40′46″N 77°13′34″E / 28.679368°N 77.226076°ECoordinates: 28°40′46″N 77°13′34″E / 28.679368°N 77.226076°E | |
| Country |
 India
|
| State | Delhi |
| District | North Delhi |
| Government | |
| • Type | Legislative Assembly |
| • Body | Delhi Administration. (The Government of National Capital Region of Delhi) |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Hindi, English |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+5:30) |
| PIN | 110 054 |
| Lok Sabha constituency | North Delhi |
| Civic agency | Municipal Corporation Of Delhi |
The Civil Lines is a noted residential area and subdivision of North Delhi District in the National Capital Territory of Delhi, India. It is one of the 12 zones under the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD). It was the hub of European-style hotels in the city until New Delhi came into being in 1911.
The name Civil Lines is a relic of British Raj times, when the city of Delhi was organized into separate areas where the British military and civilian buildings were located. Areas where civilians lived were demarcated as Civil Lines. One interesting monument of British Raj era is the Metcalfe House, Delhi. This is where the administration and governance of the Indian Empire was conducted by nineteen Governor Generals (Vice Roys) from Lord Canning to Lord Reading at their offices housed in the Old Secretariat building on the Alipore Road, and the residence of these Governor Generals was the prestigious bungalow at 1. Alipore Road which was vacated by the British Indian government in 1930 to relocate the residence for succeeding viceroys at a palatial complex on the Raisina hill in Lyutiens' Delhi known the as the Vice Roy's House. The bungalow at 1. Alipore Road today houses the Indra Prastha College for Women. The Old Secretariat after 1931 housed the offices of the Brtish Indian Army and the Post Master General and the adjoining Army Press. After independence It became the seat of Delhi's Metropolitan Council and currently houses several offices of the Central Government like the Publications Department and offices of the Delhi Administration. The Vice Roy's House today is the official residence of the Presidents of Indian Republic and is called the Rashtrapati Bhawan. The offices of the Old Secretariat at Alipore Road were also relocated in 1931 to the New Secretarial Building at Lyutiens' Delhi adjoining the Vice Roy's House and is called the Central Secretariat today. One of the earliest modern hotels in Delhi was the Maidens Hotel, later Oberoi Maidens, built in 1903. It was situated in the Civil Lines, where all European-style hotels were situated and the officers of British Raj stayed. Other hotels in the area were Swiss Hotel and Hotel Cecil, run by Robert Hotz family, which also owned Wildflower Hall and Cecil Hotel in Shimla. Hotel Cecil was later demolished and today St. Xavier's School stands on the location.
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Wikipedia