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Delhi’s archival documents dating back to the 1880s — currently stored in the record room of Chandni Chowk’s historic Town Hall — will soon be digitised to improve public access, aid academic research, and deepen engagement with India’s democratic past, officials said on Thursday.
The record room houses rare materials including official proceedings, administrative documents, and civic budgets from the late 19th century.
Delhi assembly speaker Vijender Gupta, who inspected the site on Thursday, called for greater collaboration between civic bodies, heritage departments, and archival institutions to safeguard these historical assets. “Digitisation will enhance accessibility and support research, while preserving our legislative heritage,” he said, adding that the Parliament Secretariat has pledged support for the initiative.
Calling the Town Hall a “treasured site preserving vital historical documents of national significance,” Gupta said, “The record room contains official proceedings, budgets, and administrative documents dating back to 1880 — including rare archival material related to municipalities. These have a critical role in chronicling the evolution of India’s governance and civic institutions,” he added.
Among the archive’s contents are meeting minutes dating as far back as 1894, posters urging vaccination before the Kumbh Mela, inland telegram receipts, old revenue stamps, documents announcing fishing and shooting bans at public bathing ghats, messages from foreign dignitaries’ visits to the Town Hall, among others.
“These records trace how governance structures developed after 1857, when Delhi was transferred from the North-Western Provinces to Punjab under British rule,” a senior official said. “A new administrative center, the Delhi Institute, was built between 1861 and 1866 at the site of the demolished Mughal Sarai. By 1863, the municipality had been established at what is now the Town Hall.”
Officials said the digitisation drive will cover both Town Hall archives and those housed at the Delhi Assembly, as part of a Parliament-backed initiative. Gupta, who met Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla earlier this week, said Birla has directed the conversion of the Delhi Vidhan Sabha library into a fully digital e-library.
Gupta noted that the Delhi Assembly secretariat has preserved its records systematically since inception. “These documents are not just relics; they are active instruments for understanding how India’s governance, laws, and urban administration evolved,” he said.
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