But all that might change. Students of 15 city schools, as part of a national competition organised by the Science and Technology ministry, have been provoked to think about redesigning the Mughal-era city — keeping its heritage intact.

The students have come up with several innovative ideas to make it a ‘future city’ by 2020. The ministry set the rules — focus on using science and technology to ‘solve real-world challenges, incorporating real-world data’.

Shresth Mohan from Mount Carmel School, Dwarka, detailed how they went about it. “We first did a recce of the entire area and identified the predominant problems. Congestion, lack of power, loose electric wires and chaotic traffic stood out as the city’s bane,” Mohan said. The school’s solution? Separate residential areas from those that teem with commercial activity.

The ideas were showcased at the ‘2009-2010 Future Cities India 2010 Student Infrastructure Design Projects Exhibitions’ at the American Center on Wednesday. The competition ‘Future Cities India’ was launched in 2006 by the ministry and Bentley Systems. The focus this year was Chandni Chowk.

Bentley’s senior vice-president Bhupinder Singh said: “The 15 school teams had to address three requirements in their conceptual designs: utilise existing land and infrastructure to the best advantage, propose a congestion-free transportation plan and integrate principles of environmentally sustainable designs.”

Students have suggested underground wiring and the use of nanotechnology and piezoelectricity (electricity generated from pressure) to make Chandni Chowk a ‘place people would love to visit’.

Heritage buildings in the area have also been taken care of. “The idea is to make Chandni Chowk green, clean and vibrant that will not only reflect its historical past but also keep in mind its desire to modernise,” said Lokesh Mishra, a class XI student from Salwan Public School, Rajinder Nagar. “We have also used the Green Building concept while devising the renovation plan.”

A panel of judges selects the best models. Out of the total 43 teams that took part in the project in August, these 15 were shortlisted. Some from Delhi are Amity International, Saket; Father Agnels, Gautam Nagar; Salwan Public School, Rajinder Nagar; Apeejay School, Sheikh Sarai; Ahlcon International School, Mayur Vihar; KR Mangalam World School, GK 2; Navy Children School, Chanakyapuri and others.

Last year, the challenge centred on the Indian Railway’s plans to refurbish the country’s ageing railway stations.